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SKETCHES 



/ 



CAMPAIGN II lORTHERI MEXICO. 



EIGHTEEN HUNDRED FORTY-SIX AND SEVEN. 






?^ V 



-f f a.. (^^"^^^fS 



BY AN OFFICER 

OF THE FIRST REGIMENT OF OHIO VOLUNTEERS. 




^^y=vmti*»^-:^ 



NEW YORK: 

PUBLISHED FOE THE AUTHOR BT 

GEORGE P. PUTNAM & CO., 10 PARK PLACE. 

1853. 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1853, 
BY MASKELL E. CUKWEN, 

In the District Court of the United States, for the District of Ohio. 



^^^ 



;2.xo 



Vi' 



TO THK 

NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND PRIVATES 

OF 

THE FIE ST OHIO VOLUNTEERS, 

THIS VOLUME 

IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 

AS A 

TRIBUTE OF RESPECT. 



INTRODUCTION 



If the tiaie lias not yet come for the grave and impartial sum- 
ming up by the historian, of that interesting event — the Mexican 
war — it is believed that a sufficiently remote period has arrived 
for the publication of those Notes and Memoirs which have been 
prepared, and are designed, not so much to gratify any existing 
popular interest, as to " serve the cause of History." The writer 
of the following pages is aware that his subject lacks the charm of 
novelty. A strong and experienced ccrps of intelligent officers and 
literary camp-followers, armed cap-a-'pie for the campaign, have 
taken the field before him. Still, as the same landscape or picture, 
when observed from different points of view, will not unseldom 
present new and attractive features ; the reader may perhaps dis- 
cover in these Sketches, some lights and shadows to which his 
attention has not heretofore been directed. The history of the First 
Regiment of Ohio volunteers (incorporated with the narrative) 
may be interesting to many of his fellow-citizens ; and his account 
of some of the leading events of the war, he trusts, will not be 
altogether valueless. 

An untrained volunteer in authorship as in arms, the writer — 
though not inditferent to, nor ungrateful for the approbation of 
others, — has been more intent upon the performance of his duty, 
than solicitous for the favorable opinion of his readers. Prompted 
by a just State pride, and the desire to discharge a merited tribute to 
the constancy and courage of the gallant men to whom the volume is 
inscribed, he has endeavored to recite plainly and briefly those inter- 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

esting events in which the troops of Ohio participatad, together with 
such incidents of Taylor's campaign as seemed necessary to afford 
the general reader a clear, connected, and comprehensive view of 
the war in Northern Mexico. He has quoted only such Orders, 
Dispatches and official documents as were required to elucidate the 
narrative ; the interest of which he has sought to enhance by occa- 
sional extracts fz'om the only history of the war as yet published 
by Mexicans. To his surviving fellow-soldiers, who are all doubt- 
less content (for the true soldier is never covetous of praise,) with 
the meager account of their services moldering in the archives of 
the War-Department, these chapters may serve to recall many 
scenes which time, perhaps, has already partially effaced from the 
tablet of memory. An eye-witness of what he describes, the 
writer confidently claims for it the belief of the reader ; for 
though his little book be but a trifling contribution to the history of 
the war, it is one oi facts, — collected from notes taken almost daily 
during the campaign. 

It has been no part of his purpose to discuss in these pages the 
question of " the origin of the ivar." Concerning that, our poli- 
ticians have scarcely yet ceased to pass resolutions and make 
speeches. The mists of passion and prejudice still hang like the 
smoke wreaths of battle over the unfortunate controversy. Time 
will soon dissipate them, and the impartial pen of some future 
historian will treat the subject in a manner which its magnitude 
and interest and justice to both nations require. 

However the final decision of the grave question of its causes 
may affect the character of our government, all will agree that its 
prosecution and results redound greatly to the credit and permanent 
benefit of the United States. For, to judge it fairly, — as a military 
transaction, — the numbers and positions of the forces actually 



INTRODUCTION. Vll 

engaged in the field must be regarded, ratlier tlian the power and 
resources of the belHgerent countries. 

As in all wars, we are compelled to lament among its conse- 
quences, the desolation of many hearts and homes ; but it has also 
extended the blessings of knowledge and of civil and religious 
liberty to thousands ; it has brought to us States, rivers and har- 
bors, the possession of which was alone necessary for our political 
and commercial pre-eminence among the natiors of the earth. 
IMore than this, — it has solved the problem of this country's 
strength ; and proved to European Powers, what they had pre- 
vioiisly denied, that the volunteer armies of the United States were 
competent to carry on extended and offensive operations and to 
conduct a'i"eat wars to a successful issue. These are amono- its 
fruits ; and it is believed that, — beside the immense accession to 
our territory and commerce, — the military reputation resulting 
from it will tend, under Providence, to aid enlightened statesmen 
in averting greater bloodshed hereafter. 

On this subject it will be sufficient to quote, in conclusion, a few 
lines from the admirable dispatch of our late distinguished Secre- 
tary of State (Mr. Everett) to the British and French governments 
on the subject of the proposed tripartite treaty for the protection of 
Cuba. In alluding to the great march of events on this continent, 
he thus speaks of the splendid results of the Mexican war : — 

" Without adverting to the difference of opinion Avhich arose in 
reference to this war, — as must always happen in free countries in 
reference to great measures, — no person, surveying these events 
Avith the eye of a comprehensive statesman, can fail to trace 
in the main result, the undoubted operation of the law of our poli- 
tical existence. The consequences are before the world. Vast 
provinces, which had languished for three centuries under the 



Vlll INTEODUCTION. 

leaden sway of a stationary system, are coming- under the influences 
of an active civilization. Freedom of speech and the press, the 
trial by jury, religious equality and representative government, 
have been carried by the Constitution of the United States into 
extensive regions in which they were unknown before. By the 
settlement of California the great circuit of intelligence round the 
globe is completed. Every addition to the territory of the Ameri- 
can Union has given homes to European destitution and gardens to 
European want. From every part of the United Kingdom, from 
France, from Switzerland and Germany, and from the extremest 
north of Europe, a march of immigration has been taken up, such 
as the world has never seen before. Into the United States, grown 
to their present extent in the manner described, but little less than 
half a million of the population of the Old World is annually pour- 
ing ; to be immediately incorporated into an industrious and pros- 
perous community, in the bosom of which they find political and 
religious liberty, social position, employment and bread." 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



The annexation of Texas. Our army encamps opposite Matamoros. The Mexi- 
can troops cross the Rio Grande and commence hostilities. General Taylor 
calls for reinforcements. The war recognized by the Congress and people of the 
United States. Requisition upon Ohio for three regiments of volunteers. They 
are immediately raised and rendezvous at Camp Washington. Organization of 
the Ohio brigade. Embarkation of the 1st regiment. Fourth of July. General 
Hamer's speech. page 17 

CHAPTER 11. 

Departure from New Orleans. Brazos Santiago. A man overboard. Scenes on 
the island. A fire in the rear. The mouth of the Rio Grande. Volunteers 
" falling back on New Orleans." Burrita. Camp Belknap. The cat-fish 
war. Sickness and trials of the troops. The battle-fields of Palo Alto and 
Resaca. p. 25 

CHAPTER HI. 

The Mexican army under General Ampudia prepares to defend Monterey. Gen- 
eral Taylor's order regulating the movement to Camargo. Departure from 
Camp Belknap. The valley of the Rio Grande ; its people and productions. A 
Sabbath in Matamoros. Reynosa. A Fandango. The Stag dance. Death of 
a volunteer. A pleasant interchange of visits with a Mexican family. Arrive 
at Camargo. A glimpse at head-quarters and General Taylor. - - p. 44 

CHAPTER IV. 

Camp scenes at Camargo. General Worth. The review. The regular troops 
sent forward to Cerralvo. Great sickness and mortality in the volunteer regi- 



X CONTENTS. 

ments. Character and conduct of tlie natives. Our treatment of them. The 
proclamation. The army and church of IMexico. Their influence on the govern- 
ment. Eager and enthusiastic spirit of the volunteers. Tlie Texan Rangers. 
Brigades organized for the field. Limited means of transportation. The Mexi- 
can jockeys and our horse-market. Something of a shower. General Ilamer's 
brigade crosses the San Juan preparatory to marching for Monterey - p. 74 

CHAPTER V. 

Arrieros. Packing the mules. The march commenced. Trials of the first day. 
Cerralvo. A storm. Mustard 7>er se. Orders for continuing the march. Descrip- 
tion of the country. Marin. The enemy seen and heard from. A stampede. 
Crossing a stream. A donkey going down stern foremost. San Francisco. The 
army arrives before Monterey. Encamps at Santo Domingo. - - P- 108 

CHAPTER VI. 

The reconnoissance. Beautiful view of the city and valley of Monterey. Descrip- 
tion of the fortifications. Worth's division sent to seize the Saltillo road, and to 
attack the western defenses of the town. Skirmish with the Mexican cavalry. 
The action of San Jeronimo. Divisions of Twiggs and Butler advanced on the 
north. Attack of Garland's column upon the north-east corner of the city. Its 
result. Advance of Quitman's brigade. Fort Teneria captured. The 1st Ohio 
regiment enters the town. Its operations. Charge of Lancers. Their respulse. 
Loss and gain of our army on the 21st of September. View of Worth's opera- 
tions on the 21st and 22d. The hights are stormed and the castle carried. The 
Mexicans retire upon their second line during the night of the 22d. Street fights 
on the 23d of September. The capitulation of the 24th. Taylor's letter vindi- 
cating it. General Ampudia's proclamation. p. 141 

CHAPTER VII. 

The army at San Dvmingo. Texan Rangers discharged. The wounded sent 
home. A new camp established. Discipline of the 1st regiment of Ohio volun- 
teers. Lights and shadows of camp life. Our commissariat and the meat bis- 
cuit. The " spotted tiger " and " striped pig." Savage spirit of the Mexicans. 
Assassination of Father Rey. The Sierra Silla. Scenery hunters in a bad case. 
A day in Monterey. Condition of the battle-field. Death of Brigadier General 



CONTENTS. XI 

Hamer. His character and services. Military events of the autumn reviewed. 
Sallillo and Tampico abandoned by the enemy. The Mexican forces concen- 
trated under General Santa Anna at San Luis de Potosi. Columns of Generals 
Kearney and Wool. Proposition of the American government referred by Santa 
Anna to the Mexican Congress. The armistice terminated. Worth's division 
occupy Saltillo. Twiggs' and Quitman's march to Victoria. - - p. 219 

CHAPTER Vni. 

False reports. Why and how^ we went to Saltillo. The loan of a donkey. Forced 
march across the Sierra Madre. Mountain scenery. La Rinconada. The Aloe 
plant. Los Muertos. The tierra templada. Bivouac at the Palomas pass. 
Conduct of the natives. A cotton factory. Scarcity of fuel. Sufferings of the 
troops. Rabbit hunts. A visit to Saltillo. Christmas-eve. Another stampede. 
Lassoing a team. Return to Monterey. p. 253 

CHAPTER IX. 

Monterey garrisoned by our regiment. The battalion of San Patricio. How the 
monks of San Francisco diddled us. A few words about volunteer troops. 
Expedition against Vera Cruz. Arrival of General Scott in Mexico. His letter 
to General Taylor. Its bearer, Lieutenant Richey, killed. The divisions of 
Worth, Twiggs and Patterson sent back to the coast General Taylor returns 
to Monterey. His letter to General Scott. Scouting parties captured by the 
enemy. Taylor hastens to join Wool at Saltillo. Changes his head-quarters to 
Agua Nueva. Reasons for taking that position. Advance of Santa Anna. 
Taylor falls back to Buena Vista. Sights and sounds at Monterey. General 
Urrea moves from Tula upon our line. He captures Lieutenant Barbour's train. 
Besieges Lieutenant Colonel Irvin at Marin. Attacks Colonel Morgan's bat- 
talion. Glorious news from Buena Vista. p. 275 

CHAPTER X. 

Bearers of dispatches from head-quarters arrive at Monterey. We prepare to 
escort them to Camargo. A train tacked on. Description of the convoy. 
Appearance of the country and villages. The massacre near Ramas. The 
affair with the Mexican cavalry at Cerralvo. General Urrea retreats to Tamau- 
lipas. Friendly reception by the citizens of Cerralvo. Pronunciamiento of the 



Xll CONTENTS. 

teamsters. Arrival of Colonel Curtis' command. We resume our march to 
Camargo. Fortifications of that town. Another march to Monterey. Mustang 
Gray. Wholesale slaughter of Rancheros near Marin. - - - p. 296 

CHAPTER XL 

Condition of General Taylor's army after the battle of Buena Vista. Tranquility 
restored in Northern Mexico. Courts established. Glance at General Scott's 
campaign. The homeward march. p. 337 



ERRATUM. 
On page 273, line 22, read " skirting the road." 



SKETCHES 

OF THE 

CAMPAIGN IN NORTHERN MEXICO. 

CHAPTER 1. 



The Annexation of Texas — Our Army encamps opposite Matamoros — The Mexi- 
can Troops cross the Rio Grande and commence hostilities— General Taylor 
calls for reinforcements — The War recognized by the Congress and people of the 
United States — Requisition upon Ohio for three Regiments of Volunteers — They 
are immediately raised and rendezvous at Camp Washington — Organization of 
the Ohio Brigade— Embarkation of the First Regiment— The Fourth of July — 
General Hamer's speech. 

At the commencement of President Polk's Administration, 
our country was involved in two very serious disputes with 
foreign powers : one with England, the other with Mexico ; 
the subject of the former, the boundary of Oregon ; of the 
latter, that of Texas. Although " Fifty-four Forty or Fight " 
had been the shihholeth of the government party in the na- 
.tional election just passed, the Cabinet at Washington did 
not seem to think it altogether politic to prosecute both of 
these quarrels with arms. The Oregon question was, there- 
fore, unraveled by negotiation ; that of Texas, cut with the 
sword. Whether the latter could also have been peaceably 
adjusted, is one of the questions connected wdth the origin of 
2 



14 THE AKMY OF OCCUrATION. 

the war which it is not my purpose to discuss. Non nostrum 
tantas comjponere lites. 

Pending the settlement of the interesting ante-nuptial con- 
tracts between " Uncle Sam " (who, besides being a sad old 
Mormon in his polygamous tendencies, has a decided pen- 
chant for the dark-eyed daughters of the South) and Texas, 
and which resulted in their union ; the troops of the former 
were sent to occupy a convenient position in the territory of 
the latter, with a view of meeting promptly any presumptu- 
ous Mexican knights who might approach to forbid the bans. 
The command of this " Army of Occupation " was entrusted 
to General Z. Taylor, whose prudence and firmness eminently 
qualified him for a task of such importance and delicacy. 
From August, 1845, to March, 1846, he remained encamped 
at Corpus Christi, a healthful and convenient location on the 
coast of Texas. Many years had elapsed since so large a 
portion of our army had been concentrated in the field, and 
the general commanding availed himself of the opportunity 
to establish a system of instruction and discipline, which con- 
tributed greatly to its subsequent success. 

Meanwhile the annexation of Texas — the casus helli — was 
consummated. The " lone star " was added to our glorious 
banner, and the President announced the event as a bloodless 
achievement. 

But he, and all of us, learned ere long that 

" Those who in quarrels interpose, 
Must often wipe a bloody nose." 

Our government, believing that the limits of the new state 
extended to the Rio Bravo del Norte, instructed General Tay- 



TAYLOK ENCAMPS OrPOSlTE MATAMOKOS. H 

lor to break up his camp at Corpus Christi, aud march to th( 
left bank of that river. If, as many have supposed, the de 
sign of this movement was simply to quicken the tardy pace 
of Mexican diplomacy, an unfortunate mistake was evidentb 
committed in estimating the means necessary to accomplish 
that object. The little army of three thousand men, whicJ 
General Taylor displayed upon the frontier, rather invitei 
than averted the threatened war. In the presence of a large: 
force, it is by no means certain that Paredes, the Dictator o: 
" the magnanimous Mexican nation," would have ventured 
to authorize those bold aud ofiensive operations which led so 
suddenly to the first shock of arms. 

On the 11th of March, General Taylor marched from Cor- 
pus Christi. In the latter part of the same month, after 
establishing a depot at Point Isabel, he encamped opposite 
Matamoros ; the garrison of which town was soon afterwards 
reinforced by a strong division of troops from the interior, 
under General Arista. From that camp, which the Americans 
hastened to fortify, " the flag of the stars " was unfurled ; and 
the Mexican authorities were informed that the United States 
claimed all the territory north of the Rio Grande. There 
and then, too, was begun that military correspondence in whicl 
the American general proved himself an accomplished master 
and by which, no less than by his valor and humanity, he 
won the admiration of his countrymen. 

In the following month (April, 181:6) were shed the first 
red drops of the long impending storm, which, it was even 
then hoped, would pass away like an April cloud. The Mex 
lean cavalry, having crossed the river, succeeded in killing 



16 THE WAR KECOGNISED. 

and capturing some officers and small detachments of our 
army. Encouraged by the good fortune attending these skir- 
mishes, and the comparatively small number of the opposing 
camp, General Arista, on the 1st of May, passed his army to 
the Texan bank of the Rio Grande, and displayed there, for 
'he last time, the banner of his arrogant and vain-glorious 
country. Learning the hostile attitude of the Mexican gen- 
eral, the American commander immediately called upon the 
States of Louisiana and Texas for troops. In the meantime, 
le determined to keep open the communication between his 
depot at Point Isabel and his camp opposite Matamoros, both 
of which were now seriously menaced, — Arista having taken 
in intermediate position, at Palo Alto, with the design of 
brcing a battle. Notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, 
Taylor did not decline the combat ; but in a characteristic 
iespatch from Point Isabel, May 7th, he informed his govern- 
ment that he should march that day for Matamoros, and adds, 
" if the enemy oppose my march, in whatever force, I shall 
fight him." 

The Federal government, meanwhile, informed of the crit- 
ical position of its army, was seized with apprehension for 
its safety and success ; and, on the 11th of May, the President 
ient a message to Congress communicating the startling in- 
.'elligence that war existed with Mexico, and this almost be- 
fore the announcement that annexation was a " bloodless 
achievement " had ceased to echo through the halls of the 
Capitol. On the following day, a bill was passed, by large 
majorities in both branches of the National Legislature, rec- 
ognizing the war ; appropriating ten millions of dollars, and 



OPPOSITION TO THE WAR, 17 

authorizing the President to accept the services of fifty thons- 
and volunteers for its prosecution. It is, perhaps, to be re- 
gretted that there was not perfect unanimity in favor of that 
important measure ; and, indeed, for an earnest and energetic 
pursuit of the war throughout, — all opposition to which should 
then have been silenced by humanity, if not by policy and pa- 
triotism. To abandon or denounce the government in such 
an alarming crisis, would only serve to prolong the contest. 
Peace once broken with such a people — ignorant of our power, 
and boastful of their own — could only be conquered, and that 
most effectively and speedily, by united councils at home, and 
resolute and vigorous action in the field. An accomplished 
historian (Macaulay) has well remarked, that "if there be 
any truth established by the universal experience of nations, 
it is this : that to carry the spirit of peace into war, is a weak 
and cruel policy. The time of negotiation is the time for de- 
liberation and delay. But when an extreme case calls for 
that remedy, which is in its own nature most violent, and 
which, in such cases, is a remedy only because it is violent, 
it is idle to think of mitigating and diluting. Languid war 
can do nothing which negotiation or submission will not dc 
better ; and to act on any other principle is not to save blood 
and money, but to squander them." 

But I have no quarrel with the opponents of the Mexican 
war bills. According to the venerable Senator from Michi- 
gan, they have not been singular in their sentiment of hos- 
tility to the cause of their country.* K, however, they, or any 

* " I have seen a great deal of this political perversity, — this unpatriotic predis- 
position, which prompts many men always to take part against their country, what- 



18 ENTHUSIASM FOK THE WAE. 

/vho may come after us, shall perchance, in their efforts to arrest 
;he progress of this Republic, either in peace or war, be run 
over and crippled by that new and powerful American engine 
ycleped, — " manifest destiny," — let them not complain if the 
popular decision should be as usual, " no blame is attached 
to the company." But a decided majority of the people, as 
;vell as of the Congress, of the United States, were far from 
^eing averse to a war with Mexico, whose wrongs and insults 
:o American citizens had been greater for a series of years 
than those inflicted by all other nations combined. Hence, 
when it was known that American blood had been shed, and 
that " the question had reached a point where words must 
vive place to acts," the alacrity with which the people ten- 
lered their services to the government. Hence the general 
nthusiasm, the many public meetings, and the generous con- 



ver be the position in which she is placed. I do not recollect a single controversy 
n which we have been involved with a foreign power, since I have been on the 
tage of action, when the whole sentiment of the country was united in the cause 
if the country. I doubt if there is another people on the face of the globe whose 
listory presents so many instances of this want of true national pride — patriotism 
•ather — as our own. Whether it results from any peculiar political idiosyncrasy, 
[ know not ; or whether our party feelings are so strong that we are blinded by 
.hem, and led, in their vehemence, to think, that all is wrong our opponents do; or, 
t may be, at any rate so far as England is concerned, that some of the old colonial 
eaven remains, which leavens much of the lump. Be it one or the other, or 
whatever else, the deplorable consequence is certain ; and the sentiment of Decatur, 
!iot less noble than just, — " Our country, right or wrong " — which, being truly un- 
lerstood, — felt rather — means that when embarked in a controversy with a foreign 
ration, it becomes every true citizen, after the course of his country has been de- 
cided by the constitutional authority, to submit to that authority, and to support her 
^•ause, and not the cause of her foes. This noble sentiment finds many who repu- 
iiate it, — many who possess the character, without possessing the feelings, of Amer- 
can citizens." — Extract from a speech delivered by General Cass, in the Senate, Jan- 
lary Ibih, 1853, on the resolution reaffirming the Monroe doctrine, concerning the Col- 
nization nf this Continent. 



REQUISITION FOR OHIO TROOPS. 19 

tributions for the support of the families of those whose 
poverty would otherwise have prevented their enlistment. 

It was determined by the War Department to call into im- 
mediate service but twenty thousand of the fifty thousand men 
which the President was authorized to employ. Most of these 
troops were furnished by the Western States, — Ohio, Indiana, 
Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee — as indeed was the largest 
portion of those subsequently raised. These five States sent 
twenty-six regiments of volunteers to the field, besides a very 
considerable number of recruits for both the old and new regi- 
ments of the regular army. A requisition for thirty compa- 
nies (three regiments) was the first made upon Ohio ; and 
Governor Bartley, on the 20th of May, issued a proclamation 
appealing to the courage and patriotism of the State to render 
promptly the required aid. Soon afterwards, Samuel R. Cur- 
tis, Adjutant General of the State, established a general ren- 
dezvous at Camp Washington, near Cincinnati, to w^hich 
companies were ordered to repair as soon as organized. In 
less than two weeks after the requisition of the War Depart- 
ment was received in Ohio, three thousand of her people, 
having gladly responded to their country's call, were march- 
ing towards the rendezvous ; and before the middle of June, 
the tents of forty companies were pitched at Camp Washing- 
ton. I recall with pleasure, and record with pride, the zeal 
and enthusiasm with which the " young giant of the West " 
rushed to the conflict, standing, as it does, in favorable con- 
trast with the conduct of other States, whose chivalry and 
patriotism it is the fashion to applaud. 

During the month of June, companies were assembled at 



20 CAMP WASHINGTON, 

Camp "Washington from all quarters of the State. They were 
chiefly from the rural districts, where the volunteers had fol- 
lowed those manly and laborious avocations that trained them 
admirably for the fatigues of war. But every trade and pro- 
fession was represented in the ranks, so that it was no difficult 
matter, throughout the campaign, to obtain, upon call, a corps 
of skillful laborers in any branch of industry. There were 
workers in metal, wood and leather, — men who could make 
clothes, harness, wagons, mills, bridges, forts, laws, and pills ; 
all of whom, of course, knew how to make a charge. Several 
more companies than were necessary to fill the requisition, 
came to the rendezvous, and those last to arrive were sent 
home ; not, however, without much clamor and dissatisfac- 
tion. But in the following year (1847) some new battalions 
were raised in Ohio, thus aflbrding the disappointed fire-eaters 
the desired opportunity of "seeing the elephant," or of " rev- 
eling in the Halls of the Montezumas," as the phrase went. 
Governor Bartley having divided the thirty companies re- 
tained at the camp into three regiments, the officers immedi- 
ately set about completing their organization by the election 
of field-officers. Though they were naturally desirous of 
promoting some of their own numbers, yet two of the regi- 
ments very disinterestedly conferred their colonelcys upon 
gentlemen who had not been connected with the volunteers, 
with a view of securing the benefits of their previous mili- 
tary experience. And here it may be remarked, that the 
company officers — who were the electors of the regimental 
officers — had themselves been previously chosen from the 
Tanks, after having been sworn in as privates. Such, at least, 



OHIO TROOPS ORGANIZED. 21 

was the just and honorable practice, so far as my observation 
extended. The three regiments organized at Camp Wash- 
ington, were composed and commanded as follows ; 

First Regiment, Colonel A.M. Mitchell ; comprising com- 
panies from Cincinnati, Dayton, Hamilton, Portsmouth, 
Georgetown, and Sandusky. 

Second Regiment, Colonel G. W. Morgan ; composed of 
companies from Athens, Columbus, Mount Vernon, Newark, 
Logan, Lancaster, Circleville, Chillicothe, and Hillsborough. 

Third Regiment, Colonel S. R. Curtis ; of companies from 
Mansfield, Massilon, Wooster, Norwalk, Steuben ville, St. 
Clairsville, Coshocton, Zanesville, and Seneca. 

This Buckeye brigade was soon afterwards reviewed by 
Gen. Wool, (who was then en route to take command of the 
column assembling in Texas for the reduction of Chihuahua,) 
and mustered into the service of the United States for one 
year. Though within the influence of the many allurements 
of a populous city, but few of the thousands assembled at the 
camp failed to apply themselves diligently to the task of learn- 
ing their new profession. The garb and vocation of the 
citizen were abandoned together ; and with his uniform the 
volunteer assumed the duties of a soldier. Crowds of citizens 
from all parts of Ohio, attracted by various motives, were in 
daily attendance at Camp Washington. Among them were 
many eminent clergymen, who distributed Bibles and fre- 
quently addressed the troops. The sermons of those gentle- 
men were, as a volunteer remarked, " the only rations of 
religion issued during the campaign ;" for in the army there 
are no Sabbaths, no days of rest and worship, as they who 
read these pages will not fail to observe. 



22 THE TROOPS EMBARK AT CINCINNATI, 

Contrary to expectation, but little sickness prevailed in the 
encampment ; and there was only one death during the month 
we remained at the rendezvous. Toward the end of June, 
our regiment, (the 1st,) having obtained its outfit of clothing 
and camp equipage, struck its tents, and entered that shining 
path which leads " to glory and the grave." The streets of 
Cincinnati through which we marched, to embark upon " La 
Belle Riviere^'' were filled with a dense multitude of specta- 
tors. There were mothers, wives, sweethearts, fathers, bro- 
thers, friends, who eagerly scanned the passing ranks for some 
familiar face ; to which, when recognized, they ran to add 
another blessing and a last adieu. The friendly volleys of 
artillery that announced our departure from the wharf, shook 
stout hearts that afterwards remained unmoved, when " death 
spoke in every booming shot that knelled upon the ear." 
Many there were in that band of citizen soldiers, who gazed 
for the last time upon the beautiful " Queen City of the 
West," then arrayed in the brilliant robes of summer ; on 
her shoulders, a mantle of the richest green ; in her hair, 
fruitful vines and fragrant flowers ; her imperial head tiaraed 
with gems of rural architecture that sparkled brightly in the 
morning sun. 

The Fourth of July found us afloat on the Mississippi, and 
still many hundreds of miles above New Orleans. The sol- 
diers, who had not then ceased to be sovereigns, were not 
disposed to let the birth day of Independence pass by without 
the usual amount of jollity and speechifying. With a famili- 
arity, and in terms that would doubtless have shocked the 
martinets of the regular army, several oflicers were "called 



GENEKAL IIAMER. — EMBARK FOR THE BRAZOS. 23 

out," and addressed the troops. The last, and of course the 
best speaker, was General Hamer, who possessed an extended 
and enviable reputation as an orator, but whom it had never 
been my good fortune to hear until that day ; and never 
before or since have I listened to a more witching speech. 
His manner was natural ; his gestures, graceful'; his words 
well selected from an abundant store ; his figures, beautiful 
and striking ; and his voice, clear and musical as a trumpet. 
As a few of the men had previously evinced a mutinous dis- 
position, he seized the occasion to denounce a spirit so dan- 
gerous to the happiness of the soldier and the success of the 
regiment. He illustrated the importance of subordination 
and discipline by examples from history ; he dwelt upon the 
privations and sufferings of the men of the Revolution ; 
teaching his hearers that glory was the sweet fruit of toil and 
danger, not of idleness and pleasure. 

" For sluggard's brow the laurel never grows, 
Renown is not the child of indolent repose." 

Such a speech was not without its influence, and proved 
again the superior efficacy of words wisely wielded, in the 
conquest of human passions. Hamer was indeed a perfect 
master of that eloquence which, either in sprightly conversa- 
tion or grave discourse, went directly to the soldiers' hearts. 

Early in July we arrived at New Orleans, whence the regi- 
ment immediately sailed for Brazos Santiago, leaving the 
writer, who had been attacked by fever on the Mississippi, to 
mend or end his humble existence in that city, not remarkable 
for its salubrity in the dog days. Two long weeks of solitude 
and pain there passed heavily by, during which time the sound 



24: Taylor's campaign. 

of artillery and the hurrahs of the crowds that thronged the 
streets, daily penetrated to his chamber, announcing the arri- 
val of troops from the North, and their departure for the 
hostile shores of Mexico, 

The governors of Louisiana and Texas, upon whom, it 
will be remembered, General Taylor had called for reinforce- 
ments, had long previous complied with his requisition ; but 
their troops, though raised almost as quickly as the fabled 
battalions of Cadmus, and transported with the speed of 
steam, arrived too late to share the first harvest of laurels. 
The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma had been 
fought and won by our gallant little army. The nation, that 
had awaited the shock with breathless anxiety, was dazzled by 
the radiance of those brilliant victories. From that hour, 
" Old Rough and Ready" became the first of living men in 
the hearts of his countrymen ; and as the gloom of war deep- 
ened, the glittering galaxy of his manly virtues shone out 
with that enduring lustre, which no subsequent calumny 
could obscure. The battles on the Rio Grande opened a 
compaign, which, terminating with the perilous conflict on the 
heights of Buena Yista, need not shrink from a comparison 
with any in our history ; and whatever may be the verdict of 
posterity concerning the justice of the war, it must ever be 
conceded that it was conducted on our part with great hu- 
manity, and waged to a successful issue with a skill and 
prowess never surpassed in any quarter of the globe. 



CHAPTER II. 

Departure from New Orleans— Brazos Santiago—" A man overboard "—Scenes on 
the Island— A fire in the rear— Tlie mouth of the Rio Grande— Volunteers " fall- 
ing back on New Orleans" — Burrita— Camp Belknap — The cat-fish war — Sick- 
ness and trials of the troops— The battle fields of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma. 

Despairing of convalescence in the atmosphere of New 
Orleans, and being anxious to join our regiment before the 
contemplated invasion of Mexico should be set on foot, a 
brother officer, also an invalid, and myself, concerted ar- 
rangements to decamp. Our medical attendant offered no 
serious objections, either because he thought our chance of 
recovery as good in one place as another, or agreed with us in 
believing that the voyage across the Gulf would dissipate the 
slow, burning fever which his potions had failed to extinguish. 
We therefore caused ourselves to be conveyed on board the 
steamer "Alabama," then about to start for Brazos Santiago. 
In her cabin were assembled forty or fifty officers, and on her 
decks a crowd of volunteers ; many of whom, like ourselves, 
were feeble and emaciated from recent sickness, and not very 
redoubtable looking soldiers certainly. But all were filled 
with the ardor and ambition of youth, and were hastening with 
joyful anticipations to range themselves under the standard of 
the gallant General from whom they were to receive their first 
lessons in the art of war. We left New Orleans on the 26th 
of July, 1846, and anchored off the Brazos before daylight 



20 AKKIVE AT THE JUiAZOS, 

on tliG morning of tlie 29tli. The weatlier was intensely hot. 
Not a breath of wind ruffled the smooth glassy surface of the 
Gulf, and during the three days occu})ied in the passage, the 
feverish invalids watched and panted in vain for the sea 
breeze which we had hoped would invigorate our wasted 
bodies. Thanks to the genius of Fulton, ours was a steam 
ship, and, heedless of the calm, glided in triuraj)!! over the 
slumbering sea. Many unfortunate companies, transported 
in sail vessels, were two weeks on the voyage. An officer of 
my acquaintance was becalmed ten days, in a filthy little 
schooner, in whicli, as he gravely informed us, " the pas- 
sengers had to fight like terriers to keep the rats from the 
cabin table." He ever afterwards spoke of the voyage as 
the veritable purgatory between heaven (the United States) 
and hell (Mexico) ; commencing many a story or jest with 
the preface — •" When I was in purgatory." 

At dawn on tluj 29th, we hastened on deck to see the land 
which Sj)aniK]i cliivulry and more recently American courage 
had invested with charms that kindled the most romantic 
spirit of adventure. Next to the classic shores of the Medi- 
terranean, those of Mexico and Central America, yet so rich 
in relics of ancient art, had long been most interesting to me. 
Who, ])ernHiiig the brilliant pages of Prescott, does not 
desire to visit the grand and beautiful scenes, he so grandly 
and beautifully describes ? To revel among the intoxicating 
perfumes and liowery plains of the tierra oaliente ; to wander 
among the verdant fields and fruits of the tierra terrvplada ; to 
gaze upon the magnificent scenery and wonderful exhibitions 
of Aztec civilization displayed in ])roiuBion throughout the 



TlIK DKUAliKATlON. 



tierra fria! To conqiiei' the dcscciuhinta of the Spanish 
conqncrors, iind to phmt the lla<; of our young- republic 
upon the capital reared centuries ago above the ruins o^ 
Montczuuurs palaces! AVhat prosi)ect more captivating to 
the youthful imagination 'i 

Our first glimpse, liowever, of the hostile coast, Avas not 
particularly fascinating. The country before us, laintly re- 
vealed in the glimmering light of the morning, seemed to 
be but "a dreary waste, ex]ninding to the sky." A narrow 
belt of sand, stretching northwanl as far as the eye could 
reach, lay between us and the main land. This was inter- 
sected by shallow channels, which formed los h-a:i'os do San 
lago^ the arms of ISt. James. On one of the Islands thus 
formed, was located our ])rincipal army depot ; and on the 
opposite side of the broad lagoon, which was spread out be- 
tween the Island and the main, was Point Isabel. 

A number of large transports lay around us, all full o1" 
troops, anxiously awaiting their turn to bo disembarkeil. It 
was live miles irom the anchorage to the Brazos, and though 
a busy fleet of little steamers and schooners was constantly 
plying between the ships and the landing, the business 
seemed to progress but slowly. Many hours elapsed before a 
lighter api)voached the Alabama, during which time wo sat 
impatiently gazing upon the desolate picture of water and 
sand, for not a tree could bo seen in the distant pers})ective. 
A strong breeze had sprung uj) with the morning, and when 
the lighter came alongside, there was such a heavy sea on, 
that it was no easy matter to transfer our troops and baggage 
to her deck. While all liands were engaged in the work. 



28 A MAN OVERBOARD. 

that startling cry, " a man overboard," rang through the ship. 
An eccentric little Frenchman, by profession a cook, in the 
service of an officer of the Maryland volunteers, had thrown 
himself into the sea. It was supposed at the moment, that he 
had fallen from the gangway in attempting to reach the 
lighter, as the footing was very unsteady and unsafe for lands • 
men. Fortunately or unfortunately for the rash Gaul, his 
body would not sink, either in consequence of the spirits it 
contained, or because it was buoyed by the action of the tide 
under the two vessels, between which he had precipitated 
himself. He floated like some huge sea-frog upon the sur- 
face, but in imminent danger of being crushed between the 
ships, whose sides were occasionaly grinding hard against 
each other. Before that, however, could happen, almost 
indeed before the alarm was given, the mate of the Alabama, 
seizing a rope, leaped overboard and rescued Monsieur le 
Cuisinier, much to his dissatisfaction and disgust evidently, 
and as he was hauled on deck, dangling and twisting at the 
end of the rope, he looked daggers at the stout and daring 
sailor who had so gallantly saved him from the sharks. 
When it was understood that he had attempted " that poor- 
soul'd piece of heroism, self-slaughter," the sympathy of the 
crowd was quickly checked, and many of the spectators 
kindly wished him " better luck in his next effort." 

The scene at the landing was a lively and interesting one. 
Two or three months previous, the Island had been a wild 
and uninhabited ridge of sand, whose solitude was broken 
only by the melancholy dirge of the great waves that broke 
upon its shore. Now, it was alive with busv men ; soldiers, 



SCENES ON THE ISLAND. 29 

sailors, artizans and others, who were running to and fro like 
ants among the hillocks the winds had whirled up from its 
surface. Tradition relates that a flourishing village (flourish- 
ing after the Mexican fashion, I presume) formerly existed at 
Brazos Santiago ; and that one morning, after a terrific storm 
had raged through the night, the amazed inhabitants of the 
main land looked out in vain for the hamlet that had so long 
stood firm amid the billows of the Gulf. The last sun had 
left it gleaming there like a beautiful shell on the shore ; the 
next, shone upon a sea of foam that danced wildly o'er its 
walls. The tempest had come in darkness and wrath, and 
swallowed up the village and its people, not one of whom is 
said to have escaped. The island was not inhabited again, 
until General Taylor occupied it, as a favorable position from 
which to extend his military operations. The harbor is a 
very poor and unsale one ; yet perhaps there are not many 
better on the coast of Mexico, which, though often swept by 
destructive tornados, ofler^ but few havens to the navigator. 

The only house at the Brazos, was a small frame shed, 
built but a few yards from the water's edge, and which con- 
tained the ofiices of the quarter-master and commissary ot 
the depot. It was elevated about three feet from the ground, 
upon Palmetto logs, and beneath it lay more than a dozen 
volunteers, who, sorely stricken by disease, had sought its wel- 
come shade. Around and near the building were piled great 
heaps of provisions and munitions of war. The labor of un- 
loading the vessels and rolling barrels, boxes, etc, across the 
beach to the dry sand hills, was performed by a gang of 
swarthy Mexicans. These industrious gentlemen were by no 



30 THE UNLADING. — SICKNESS. 

means overdressed, their wearing apparel consisting of a 
sombrero alone. Thus lightly attired, they could labor with 
impunity under the broiling suns of their native land ; and, 
tempted by high wages, had abandoned for awhile the indo- 
lence in which they delight. Mechanics, too, were at work 
on all sides; and sutlers, with their merchandise displayed 
under awnings, were busily engaged in supplying, at Cali- 
fornia prices, the numerous wants of men so suddenly de- 
prived of their ordinary comforts. Farther back from the 
shore, amid the deep hot sands, four or five lately arrived 
regiments were encamped, awaiting transportation to the less 
unpleasant banks of the Rio Grande, distant about eight 
miles from the island. 

At that time, and indeed until a very late period in 
the campaign, there was a lamentable scarcity of wagons, 
and consequently our troops were long detained in 
the suffocating atmosphere of that sandy waste at the 
Brazos, before they could obtain the means of removing 
their sick and baggage to the more salubrious location 
selected for the volunteers in the vicinity of Burrita. Many 
a poor fellow, choked then with sand and parched with 
fever, will long remember the sufferings that he endured 
there. To heighten the misery of the soldiers, infectious 
diseases broke out amongst them. I was informed, that at 
the time of our arrival, one-fourth of an Indiana regiment 
was sick with the measles ; and the only comfortable hos- 
pital at Point Isabel being filled with wounded regulars, 
these unfortunate volunteers lay at their miserable camp, 
half buried with the drifting sand. Before the termination 



SET FORWARD FOE THE EIO GRANDE. 31 

of the year, however, many convenient hospitals were 
established, ample means of transportation were provided, 
and the comforts of life were so multiplied at all our posts, 
that the volunteers of 1847 suffered but little in comparison 
with those of 1846. A government, pursuing the wise 
policy that distinguishes ours in its military establishments, 
cannot be expected to set an army in the field, or a navy on 
the sea, in a day ; yet, if the Cabinet had regarded the 
words of wisdom contained in the somewhat famous letter of 
the Commander-in-chief, General Scott, our privations would 
have been comparatively few and trifling, while, at the same 
time, the true interests of the country would have been pro- 
moted. The troops would have been accompanied by all 
the necessary supplies and material of war, and hundreds of 
Americans rescued from inglorious graves upon the coast, 
to meet the enemy in battle. 

I was detained at Brazos Santiago but a few hours, 
during most of which time I lay on the beach close to a pile 
of baggac'e and camp equipage, so arranged as to afford me 
some shelter from the sun's rays. Much to my surprise and 
satisfaction, I was enabled to procure some ice, sold from a 
Boston vessel at one dollar per pound, which costly and 
fleeting luxury allayed my fever very much. Having as- 
certained that my regiment was encamped on the left 
bank of the Eio Grande, about three leagues from "the 
mouth," and being as yet too feeble for the saddle, I reem- 
barked in a small vessel, bound to the river for a cargo of 
fresh water. That article, by the way, is not to be found 
on the island ; nor was the water brou2;ht from the Rio 



32 A FIKE IN THE KEAK. 

Grande very fresh or palatable after standing in barrels. 
Of coui'se, all kinds of liquor were at a premium in that 
thirsty place. This scarcity doubtless prompted to an amus- 
ing trick, whereby, as will be perceived, a tolerably shrewd 
Yankee got a " fire in the rear," which demolished his cal- 
culations for a small fortune. Jonathan had by some means 
obtained a barrel of cider, with which small stock he deter- 
mined to "set up" business. To scrape together a few 
boards and odd bits of canvass, enough to build a small 
shed, was but the work of a brief hour ; to set his barrel on a 
couple of skids in the back part of the tent, to tap it and to 
commence retailing the cider at two dimes a glass, occupied 
but a short time more. Customers flocked in by dozens, and 
our Yankee was making his " etarnal fortin " at a stride. 
Some of his patrons complained, that two dimes a glass for 
cider was an outrageous price ; but the times were hard as 
well as hot, whisky scarce, water bad, the retailer's con- 
science easy ; he had all the cider in the market, and he 
" ralely could not afibrd to sell any cheaper." 

For several hom's the Yankee was as popular as a pay- 
master, crowtls filled his shanty, his cider went oft' rapidly, 
and the deep pockets of his short-legged pantaloons con- 
tained silver enough to start a ti-ee bank in Indiana. But 
the tide of fortune unfortunately began to ebb before the 
cider was half sold ; his pati'ons gradually fell oft', and by 
the middle of the afternoon, Jonathan was left alone with his 
barrel, to whittle and cogitate upon the mutability of trade ; 
speculating it may be, too, as to the time required in that 
climate to convert apple juice into vinegar. Towards even- 



A FIRE IN THE KEAK. 33 

ing, a customer appeared in the tent, and called for a (vlass 
of cider. The retailer hastened to draw the desired potation. 
The customer, after drinking, took out his purse and in- 
quired the price. 

" Two dimes," said the Yankee. 

" Two what ?" exclaimed the customer. 

" Two dimes," coolly replied Jonathan. 

" Two devils," snarled the customer ; " why I can get just 
as good cider here for five cents a glass." 

" No you can't," drawled the Yankee ; " there aint a pint 
of cider 'cept what I've got in that arc barril this side of Or- 
leans, I'm darned if there is." 

" I know better," indignantly retorted the purchaser ; " I 
bought a glass not an hour ago, and only paid five cents 
for it." 

" I'd like to know just where you efiectcd that small trans- 
action V inquired the Yankee. 

" Right round here," was the answer. 

" I guess it was — right round here ; right round where ^ 
I'd like to know ?" continued the cider seller. 

"Why, close by here somewhere, just back of your place :" 
rejoined the customer. 

" I'll bet you tu drinks you did'nt," said the Yankee, " and 
we'll go right round and see." 

" Done," responded the customer ; aud off they started. 

Sure enough, "?%7ii! round there'''' they found another 
establishment in full blast. A second Yankee had rigged an 
awning behind the first Yankee's shed, had tapped the rear 
end of the aforesaid cider barrel through a board, and was 



34 AGEOUND. — THE MOUTH OF THE GKANDE. 

etailing it at five cents a glass to a perfect rush of cus- 
omers. 

We had a short but rough passage from Brazos Santiago to 
he mouth of the E.io Grande ; as the Gulf, long so calm, 
vas then lashed into fury by the winds. In attempting to 
^nter the river, our little vessel was driven upon the bar, and 
■emained through the night in that dangerous position ; the 
surf breaking, at intervals, completely over her. A schooner, 
which lay aground quite near us, was compelled to give the 
^ost valuable part of her cargo to the ravenous ocean, that, 
1 truth, seems to be " at eternal war with man." Old Nep- 
;une was evidently propitiated by the gift, for soon afterwards, 
much to our joy, the wind abated, and with the flood tide of 
':he morning we entered the celebrated Rio Bravo del Norte. 
It is quite a narrow river at its mouth, not more than three 
or four hundred yards wide, but in the wet season disem- 
bogues an immense volume of water. On the right bank at 
that place, is a small collection of mud and reed huts, occu- 
ied by Mexican fishermen and herdsmen. The latter pas- 
ture large herds of cattle in the marshes, winch extend many 
miles back from the coast on both sides of the river, This 
miserable village was, I believe, called by the natives, Res- 
guardo ; but among our people it was known as the City of 
Bagdad. When we revisited it, on our return to the United 
States in the following year, it had been somewhat improved 
md Americanized. The few poor brown and bare-legged 
fishermen having been initiated into some of the mysteries of 
our elective system, were then engaged in an animated 
canvass for the high office of Alcalde. A Yankee, perhaps 



VOLUNTEERS FALLING BACK UN NEW ORLEANS. 35 

the sharp cider dealer of Brazos Santiago, was the demo- 
cratic candidate, and treated the sovereigns to bad liquor and 
worse stump speeches alternately. As we were told by those 
who listened to one of his harangues, that he took good care 
to represent himself as the only disinterested friend and 
obedient servant of the people ; and denounced his opponent, 
who, by the way, was some poverty-stricken and ragged 
Mexican, as an aristocratic whig ; in short, a despot in dis- 
guise ; it is probable that Jonathan was triumphantly elected, 
and the country saved from the sword and chains of a 
tyrant. 

We landed on the Texan bank of the river, opposite Bag- 
dad, where was located another of our army depots. At that 
place, which was known throughout the war as " the mouth," 
we beheld the same scenes of uproar, confusion, and bustle, 
that had been witnessed the previous day at the Brazos. Sol- 
diers, sailors, and sutlers, clerks, cooks, and camp-followers — 
a motley multitude, all " full of strange oaths and bearded 
like the pard," were crow^ded along the shore among barrels, 
boxes, tents, wagons, and artillery. The naked Mexican la- 
borers appeared to be the only people silent and really at 
work. At " the mouth " we met the army of " three months' 
volunteers," who had hastened to join General Taylor at the 
commencement of hostilities ; and who were then, as one of 
their number jocosely remarked, falling hach on New Or- 
leans. It is a fact, which certain gasconaders, who engage 
in the poor business of estimating the amount of blood and 
sweat that each section of our Union expended in the war, 
will do well to bear in mind, that six regiments of Louisiana 



36 BDKRITA TAKEN. 

volunteers, one of Texas (foot), a battalion of Alabama, and 
one of Missouri Infantry, retired from the frontier without 
firing a gun or even seeing the foe. Of all those mentioned, 
but one company (Captain Blanchard's, of Louisiana) re- 
mained. The residue, declining to extend their term of ser- 
vice to twelve months, were discharged by order of the War 
Department. 

After a short detention, caused by the usual parley with 
the quarter-master of the post, we obtained transportation on 
a small river steamer to the village of Burrita, around which 
the volunteer army was encamped. The village is situated 
on the first inland elevation ; and is but eight miles from the 
coast by the road, though fifteen by the river, — so crooked is 
the course of the stream, as it doubles through the interven- 
ing plain. It was the middle of the rainy season, and the 
swollen Grande poured along with such an impetuous cur- 
rent, that we were nearly four hours in reaching our destina- 
tion. All of that time our boat was paddling to and fro 
across the marshes, with, as it appeared to me, one or the 
other broadside constantly turned toward the village and 
camp, which were in full view all the way. The appearance 
of Burrita, composed of a score of mud hovels, ludicrously 
recalled the glowing panegyrics with which some of our edi- 
tors, a month previous, had announced the capture of that 
stronghold of the Mexican nation. " GLORIOUS NEWS 
FROM THE ARMY ! ANOTHER TRIUMPH ! BUR- 
RITA HAS FALLEN ! THE ENTIRE CITY REDUCED 
TO ASHES ! !" Such was the startling caption of the ex- 
tras which the news-carriers thrust under the spectacles of 



CAMP BELKNAP. 37 

peaceable and nervous old gentlemen in our cities, and wlio. 
as they read, doubtless in imagination saw — 

"High towers, fair temples, goodly theaters, 
Strong walls, rich porches, princely palaces. 
Fine streets, brave houses, sacred sepulchres, 
Sure gates, sweet gardens, stately galleries, 
All these (oh, pity !) now turn'd to dust." 

My regiment bad spread its canvas on tbe Texan bank of 
tbe Rio Grande, opposite Burrita, among some scrubby trees 
and bushes ; which, however insignificant as specimens of the 
vegetable kingdom, relieved the eye, and aflbrded some pro- 
tection from the clouds of scorching sand that, rising on the 
gulf shore, often rolled inland upon the breeze like pillars of 
fire. This location was called " Camp Belknap," — the name 
of an officer of the General Staff, who had selected it. On 
entering the camp, and finding myself surrounded by so 
many familiar faces, I really felt like one who had just reached 
home after a long absence. From that hour my pertinacious 
fever began to succumb, though it was several weeks before 
it released me from its grasp. Many of our men, in their 
acclimation, suflfered in a like manner — their fevers appearing 
to rise and go down with the sun, thus daily and gradually 
consuming the strength, and sapping the constitution of the 
most robust. Young troops, entering upon the duties and 
dangers of an active campaign, are not subject to ennui ; and 
tliough during our stay at Camp Belknap much sickness pre- 
vailed, our life was one of cheerful excitement and bustle. 
The officers and men were attentive and industrious, and 
earnestly commenced upon a thorough system of instruction 
and discipline. On entering the field with the troops of other 
3 



38 THE CAT-FISH WAK. 

States, a desirable esjprit die corps had been awakened. A 
kindly feeling also existed between the officers and soldiers, 
which was strongly cemented by the common trials and tri- 
umphs of the campaign. There were some accomplished and 
agreeable officers in the First Ohio regiment, whose unas- 
I suming manners, united with happy social qualities, cheerful 
I wit and humor, rendered them pleasant companions, and en- 
livened many a dreary scene. The legal profession was well 
represented among them, as indeed it was in every corps — so 
numerous as almost to verify Dryden's verse, 

" Soldiers the lawyers, and the bar the field." 

I have thought that a green bag would have been no inap- 
propriate banner for the volunteer army. 

The evening of my arrival at Camp Belknap, I received 
from our adjutant (who, if reports be correct, did not, on the 

^. occasion, place himself in the way of sharing very largely in 
i:he beatitude promised the peace-makers,) an amusing ac- 
count of a difficulty that had occurred between our regiment 

~ ;ind the Baltimore battalion, originating in the larceny of a 
Mt-fis7i belonging to our colonel ; and which trifling cause 
had nearly resulted in a disgraceful fight between the two 
regiments. At that time. Colonels M. and "W., the com- 
manders of the belligerant battalions were absent, having 
gone to head-quarters at Matamoros in consequence of the 
affair. Various accounts of the row reached the newspapers 
at home ; and in the dearth of more interesting intelligence, 
their readers were regaled with some entertaining reports of 
the " cat-fish war." It is to be regretted that the ill-feeling 
aroused by this quarrel, was permitted, by one of the parties 



SICKNESS AT CAMP BELKNAP. 39 

concerned, to manifest itself at a subsequent interesting 
period. 

Between Camp Belknap and the river was a swamp, about 
a mile in width, through which, from the want of wagons, the 
men were compelled to wade for all their provisions, — the 
tent of the commissary being pitched upon the banks of the 
Eio Grande. All our water, too, was brought from the river ; 
for the ponds in the vicinity of our camp were salt, and the 
few wells that were dug were as bitter as the fountain of Ma- 
rah. These supplies were carried in barrels, swung on 
poles, the ends of which rested upon the aching shoulders of 
the volunteers, and sinking them knee-deep in the mire. 
Much of the sickness that so thinned the ranks of the army 
on the coast was perhaps induced by the severity of these 
necessary labors. To their ignorance of the art of cooking, 
however, must be attributed many of the common and pain- 
ful complaints with which the soldiers sufiered, for at that 
time they had not penetrated far into the mysteries of the cu- 
linary science. After a few weeks' practice, when they had 
learned how best to prepare their food, that class of diseases 
disappeared. While we lay at Camp Belknap, — nearly two 
weeks — about one hundred of the eight hundred, rank and 
file, contained in our regiment, were daily reported on that 
melancholy catalogue, the surgeon's morning return. Many 
were at once disabled, and discharged from further service. 
Indeed I do not think we could have mustered more than six 
hundred bayonets at Camargo, and scarcely five hundred at 
Monterey, so rapidly did the climate, like a skillful anatom- 
ist, designate and discard all the unsound men. The great 



40 THE CLIMATE — INSECTS INNUMERABLE. 

number of lives lost by disease in Mexico has caused a very 
general belief among our people that the country is unfavorable 
to health. But it must be remembered, in this connection, 
that our army landed there at the very worst season, and, in- 
deed, the only unpleasant one of the year. The low grounds 
were overflowed, and the whole country saturated with water, 
the exhalations from which were quickened by the heat of 
summer into pestilent malaria. For weeks (until September) 
it rained every day ; not continuously, but at intervals, in 
sudden and drenching showers, each followed by a burst of 
melting sunshine. These deluging rains cooled the enthu- 
siasm of a few modern paladins, who found but little romance 
in the privations and sober realities of the camp. 

Among the little dtsagrtments attending our sojourn on 
the lower Rio Grande, not the least were caused by the ven- 
omous insects and reptiles that swarmed on those burning- 
sands, and allowed us no repose. Our camp was infested by 
snakes, tarantulas, ants, centipedes, lizards, horned toads, 
scorpions, fleas, spiders, — et id genus omnc. Of these, the 
ants were, I think, the most annoying. They not only found 
their way into our food, but attacked our persons boldly, 
crawling into our blankets or clothes, and stinging with re- 
markable severity. But the far-famed tarantula was most 
dreaded. Our assistant surgeon was bitten by one of them, 
and his was the only case of the kind in our regiment. The 
effect of the poison was immediate and alarming. So violent 
were his spasms, that the united strength of several men was 
required to confine him to his tent, from which he had delir- 
iously rushed soon after receiving the wound. ' ■" 



THE ARTILLERY DID THE WORK AT PALO ALTO AND RES AC A. 41 

The consecrated and still ensanguined fields of Palo "Alto 
and Kesaca de la Palma, were not many leagues distant from 
Camp Belknap ; and during our stay there, many of our peo- 
ple took occasion to visit them, in company sometimes with 
those who had witnessed, and could communicate many thril- 
ling incidents of the battles. It was well ascertained that the 
enemy had at least five thousand fighting men at Falo Alto, 
while General Taylor's effective force did not much exceed 
two thousand. Many ofliicers with whom I conversed on the 
subject united in attributing their success mainly to the artil- 
lery. In the action of the 8th of May, was first demon- 
strated, in the practical operations of war, the wonderful 
perfection of our light field-batteries. The prairie upon which 
the hostile forces met, was admirably adapted for their evo- 
lutions, and they made terrible havoc in the Mexican ranks. 
The distinguished Guarda Costa battalion of Tampico, is 
said to have been almost extinguished by the artillery, so 
boldly and brilliantly manoeuvered by Duncan and Einggold. 
It is also affirmed that, by a single discharge of one of these 
batteries, an entire baud of Mexican musicians was ex- 
terminated, while executing one of their grand martial bra- 
vuras. 

It is not improbable that General Arista, perceiving at 
Palo Alto how a complete knowledge of the artillery arm 
equalized the strength of armies differing so greatly in num- 
bers, was thereby induced to fall back on the morning of the 
9th to the broken and covered ground at Eesaca, where the 
bayonet and sabre should decide the combat. But there again 
his quantity yielded to what General Taylor calls in his offi- 



42 akista's confidence — ampudia. 

cial report, " the superior quality of our officers and men ;" 
and the Mexicans were completely routed, " horse and foot." 
Confused and panic-stricken, they fled to the Rio Grande, 
and hundreds escaped the wrath of the battle only to perish 
in its waves. A few days before, that scattered and flying 
army had crossed it elated with hope and assured of victory. 
Nothing can be more conclusive of the confidence which 
General Arista had in the result, than the fact that he, a sol- 
dier of considerable talent and experience, unprovided with 
pontoons, should decide to hazard a battle with a deep un- 
bridged river in his rear ; a position from which, in the event 
of defeat, would result the loss of his army, and open the 
northern frontier of his country to our victorious arms. The 
entire Mexican army had crossed to the Texan bank in two 
small boats, thus causing a delay of twenty-four hours, by 
which Arista had been prevented from attacking Taylor on 
his march from Fort Brown to Point Isabel, on the 2d of May, 
as he intended. Under the circumstances, it is not strange 
that the Mexican army, on reentering Matamoros, should be 
diminished to one-fifth of its original strength ; or that it 
should be wary of again offering battle in the open field. 
We shall see how strongly and judiciously it was posted in 
the next engagement of the war. The Mexican historians 
ascribe the loss of the battles of the Rio Grande to the dis- 
trust and jealousy which existed between Generals Arista and 
Ampudia. It was currently reported among the Mexicans 
that General Don Pedro de Ampudia was the first to abandon 
the field of Resaca ; and from his conduct in subsequent bat- 



AMPUDIA. 



ties, there arises a suspicion that Senor rcdro is duly im- 
pressed witli the conviction that 



"Timely running's no mean part 
Of conduct in the martial arl." 



CHAPTER III. 

The Mexican Army under General Ampudia prepares to defend Monterey — Genera) 
Taylor's order regulating the movement to Gamargo — Departure from Camp 
Belknap— The valley of the Rio Grande, its people and productions — A Sabbath 
in Matamoros — Reynosa — A Fandango — The Stag-dance — Death of a Volun- 
teer — A pleasant interchange of visits with a Mexican family — Arrive at Ga- 
margo — A glimpse at flead-Quarters and General Taylor. 

After the two sanguinary engagements on the northern 
bank of the Eio Grande, General Arista solicited an armis- 
tice, which was refused by General Taylor, who stated in re- 
ply, that a month previous he had proposed one to the Mexican 
General, which had then been declined ; that circumstances 
were now changed ; that he was receiving large reinforce- 
ments, and could not suspend operations which he had not 
initiated or provoked. Perceiving that the Americans were 
determined to crown their victories with the conquest of Mat- 
amoros, the broken and dispirited battalions of the Mexican 
army evacuated the town at twilight on the 17th of May, and 
retreated to Linares, which place they reached on the 28th, 
sufi'ering every misfortune in their mournful retreat. We are 
informed that " many of the soldiers ]3erpetrated suicide ; 
and that General Garcia, a chivalrous man and an illustrious 
citizen, died during the march of profound grief." * 



* These facts are stated upon the authority of a Mexican history of the war, en- 
titled, " The Other Side, or Notes for the History of the War between the United 
States and Mexico ;" written by a junla of Mexican officers, and translated by 



TAYLOR ADVANCES UPON MONTEREY. 45 

In the month of July the remnant of that unlncky army 
was united with fresh troops at Monterey,— a city situated at 
the base of the Sierra Madre, near the entrance of the prin- 
cipal pass leading up to the table lands of the interior. The 
Mexican government, learning the disastrous result of the 
conflicts at Palo Alto and Kesaca, and desiring, as usual, to 
throw the blame upon the unsuccessful general, deprived 
Arista of the command of the army of the North. He was 
succeeded by General Mejia. Soon afterwards, however, the 
Central Government was itself overthrown, and Mejia was in 
turn superseded by Ampudia, who undertook, as " Governor 
General-in-chief,''' the defense of Monterey. 

Meantime the American regulars had occupied Matamoros, 
while the tents of the rapidly arriving volunteers dotted the 
banks of the river, at various points, between that town and 
the Gulf. In the latter part of July, General Taylor began 
to push forward the regular troops to Camargo,. a town sit- 
uated near the head of steamboat navigation on the San Juan, 
a tributary of the Rio Grande. To that point, by water, it 
was no diflicult matter to transport men and supplies. But 
beyond it, in consequence of the limited resources of the 
country, but a small force could be taken with our inadequate 
means of land carriage. Yet such was the anxiety of the 
government to hasten operations, that General Taylor deter- 
mined to march from Camargo upon Monterey witli but six 
thousand men, — half regulars and half volunteers,' — unpro- 

Colonel Ramsey, of the 11th United States Infantry. In that book, to which the 
reader's attention will occasionally be invited in the following pages, the frightful 
disorders and hardships of the retreats from Matamoros and Buena Vista arc viv- 
idly portrayed. 



■±6 OEDEK OF MARCH. 

vided with a siege train, and with scarcely transportation 
enough at the command of liis Quarter-Master for a single 
division. But in Taylor's hands, enterprises of great pith 
and moment were not to be balked by ordinary obstacles. 
When the number of troops intended for the reduction of 
Monterey was made known, a strong desire was manifested 
by the volunteers to learn which of the regiments would be 
selected for that honorable service, as all were averse to an 
indolent garrison life on the frontier. That interesting ques- 
tion was not decided until after our arrival at Camargo ; nor 
were the volunteer troops organized into divisions and bri- 
gades until we reached that place. The following communi- 
cation, however, which was received at Camp Belknap early 
in August, indicated with tolerable clearness to some anxious 
spirits that they were not to be included in the glorious six 
thousand. Being an important order, it is quoted in extenso, 
as it will explain not only the disposition first made of the 
volunteers, but may also serve to inform the reader of the 
numbers, commanders, and States of the various regiments 
in the field. 

Orders ) Head- QuaHeTs^ Army of Occii/pation^ 

Ko. 93. ) 3fatamoros, July 30, 1846. 

1. The commanding General being about to leave for Ca- 
margo, the following arrangements for regulating the move- 
ments of the troops, and the service generally, in the rear, 
are announced for the government of all concerned. 

2. Four companies of artillery, under the command of 
Brevet Major Brown, now under orders for Camargo, will be 



TKOOrS DESIGNATED TO KEDUCE MONTEREY. 47 

the first to ascend the river. They will be followed, as rai> 
idly as transportation can be provided, by the following corps, 
in the order named : 

Louisville Legion, (1st Kentucky regiment,) Col. Ormsby. 

Baltimore and Washington battalion, Lieut. Col. Watson. 

Ohio brigade, Brigadier General Hamer. 

Second Kentucky regiment. Colonel McKee. 

Mississippi regiment. Colonel Davis. 

First Tennessee regiment, Colonel Campbell. 

Alabama regiment. Colonel Coffee. 

Georgia regiment, Colonel Jackson. 

Second Tennessee regiment, Colonel Haskell. 

3. The Indiana brigade, and the regiment from Missouri 
and Illinois, will remain below until further orders. The 
regiments of Texas volunteers will receive particular orders 
for their movement. 

4. Brigadier General Hamer is assigned to the command 
of the Ohio brigade. He will designate one of the regiments 
to proceed immediately by water to Matamoros, and take 
such position as may be indicated by Colonel Clarke, com- 
manding in the town, to whom the Colonel of the regiment 
will report for orders. 

5. The first four corps destined for Camargo, viz : — the 
Louisville legion, Baltimore battalion, and two regiments 
Ohio volunteers, will send their heavy baggage forward by 
water, with four companies of each regiment and two of the 
Baltimore battalion. The remaining companies of each corps, 
with their light baggage, will take up their line of march for 
Camargo as soon as provided with wagons by the Quarter- 
Master's Department, — say by the 10th of August. 



48 DISPOSITION OF THE REGIMENTS. 

6. The other corps destined for Camargo, viz : — the Ten- 
nessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia regiments, and the 
Second Kentucky regiment, will move forward l^y water as 
rapidly as practicable, in the order prescribed in the second 
paragraph. 

7. Brigadier General Twiggs will remain at Matamoros in 
command of all the troops in the vicinity until the last vol- 
unteer regiment shall pass up by land, when he will move 
forward with the dragoons and horse artillery to Camargo, 
On his departure, Colonel Clarke will assume command of 
all the troops in and near Matamoros, on both banks of the 
river. Colonel Clarke will receive special instructions for his 
government in this command. 

8. The artillery and train of the third brigade, with the rear 
companies, will march by the 5th of August, under Lieuten- 
ant Colonel Garland. 

By order of Major General Tayloe : 

W. W. S. Bliss, 
Assistant Adjutant General. 

In accordance with the foregoing order, General Ilamer 
designated the Third Ohio regiment, Colonel Curtis's, for the 
garrison of Matamoros. The First and Second Ohio regi- 
ments, Mitchell's and Morgan's, proceeded to Camargo in 
the manner mentioned in the fifth paragraph. It was my 
fortune, being yet on the sick list, to go by water with the 
four companies detached from our regiment. A frail and 
filthy little steamboat was provided for our transportation ; 
and on the 8th of August, after exchanging adieus with our 



STEAMING TO CAMARGO, 49 

companions who were compelled to take the weary land route, 
we pushed off from Camp Belknap, and commenced the as- 
cent of the Rio Grande. 

Owing to high water, the ignorance of pilots, who, being 
unaccustomed to the river, were unable to steer at night, and 
the fact that our boat was chartered by the day, we were more 
than a week in getting to Camargo. It had not been long 
since the first steamboat ascended the river, and, to the na- 
tives, it was yet an object of intense curiosity. At all the 
rancherias on the banks, a throng of people — women, child- 
ren, and even old men tottering with infirmity — were assem- 
bled to stare at our boat as it struggled slowly up against the 
rushing and roaring stream. At that period, but few wood- 
yards had been established, and we were sometimes compelled 
to take the troops ashore to gather the pickets inclosing the 
fields, to be used as fuel. Occasionally, too, we were de- 
tained at places where the river, in its whole length brimfull, 
had overrun its banks and covered the country for miles, form- 
ing wide lagoons in which our pilots had to sound for the 
channel. In these bayous were to be seen large flocks of 
water-fowl ; and not unfrequently the bloated carcases of 
animals, navigated by piratical-looking vultures, floated slowly 
through the circling eddies. 

Mexico — bare, dry, and mountainous as it is, for the most 
part — was naturally enough called " New Spain," by the con- 
querors, from the resemblance of its principal features and 
productions to those of the Peninsula, It is particularly 
deficient in good harbors and navigable streams. Of the 
latter, the Rio Grande is the most important ; but the people 



50 THE EIO GEANDE IS KATIIER CKOOKED, 

have not availed themselves of the facilities which even that 
affords. The river, as it meanders through the tierra cali- 
ente^ offers but few beauties to the eye of the traveler. Noth- 
ing is hazarded in asserting that it is the most crooked stream 
on the continent, since it far surpasses the Mississippi in the 
number and magnitude of its curves. For hundreds of miles, 
its yellow waves, pent in by muddy banks, roll through a 
lonely champaign country, undiversified by majestic cliffs or 
shadowy woods. Like a great serpent which has lost its 
brilliant and varying hue, it fails to charm. If it were but 
straight, its homeliness would be complete. So far as I could 
hear or observe, it has not a single tributary between its 
mouth and the Rio San Juan ; a fact suggestive of arid 
wastes, which the mind, touched by remembrance, did not 
fail to contrast with the many bubbling brooks and enchant- 
ing groves that beautify and refresh the Atlantic slope of the 
United States. As there are no forests on its banks, there 
are of course no snags or sawyers to excite the fears of the 
voyager ; and its navigation is far more tedious than hazard- 
ous. The country, however, is well clothed with chcqxinxd; 
and groves of the more lofty onesqueet are abundant in the 
valley. The former, as the reader is perhaps aware, is a low 
evergreen thorn ; the latter, a tree resembling the peach 
somewhat in appearance, and of not much larger growth. 

The valley of the Rio Grande abounds in fine, nutritious 
grass, which, after the wet season, dries upon the stalk, and 
becomes excellent liay. It is but sparsedly populated, yet 
these plains, interspersed with clumps of mesqueet, gave to 
many places the appearance of high cultivation, when viewed 



THE SCENEEY ALONG THE RIVEK. 51 

from a distance. The broad and verdant lawns skirting the 
river, afibrd good }3asture throughout the year to the large 
herds of cattle roaming over them. The cattle far exceed in 
size any of the common herds of the United States ; owing, 
perhaps, to the fact that they never experience any cold or 
starving winters, but grow and fatten from their calfhood. 
The quality of their flesh, however, is much inferior to that 
of our northern stock. This wild beef, together with salt 
pork, beans, and hard biscuit, constituted our rations. But 
they were dainties to a campaign appetite, — hunger furnish- 
ing a better sauce than epicure ever invented. At some spots 
along the river, we noticed a few beautiful flowers and luxu- 
riant plants, whose broad and glossy leaves told of an exu- 
berant soil, stimulated by the great heat and moisture of the 
season. Mexico, from its remarkable terraced formation, en- 
joying every variety of climate, is said to possess the richest 
and most diversified Flora to be found in any country on the 
globe. The soil is not generally poor, — the nakedness of the 
interior plains being caused by the scorching sun and absence 
of w^ater, rather than by any natural barrenness. The banks 
of the Rio Grande are in places chequered with patches of 
maize, sugar-cane, and cotton, whose large stalks attest the 
fertility of the soil ; and of these products, two crops may be 
raised annually in all situations where irrigation can be ef- 
fected. An industrious, well-governed people could make the 
valley " stand so thick with corn that it W'Ould laugh and 
sing." But the Mexicans, naturally indolent, are oppressed 
by a government that fosters neither agriculture nor any of 
the productive arts which are the surest source of public and 



52 STATE OF MEXICAN AGRICULTURE. 

individual prosperity. Nay, so far from encouraging enter- 
prise, it imposes severe restrictions npon it, and, together with 
a numerous and avaricious priesthood, is continually and cor- 
ruptly sapping what little of energy yet remains among the 
people. Is' it strange, then, considering this vampirism of 
church and state, that the principal productions of the coun- 
try should be pronunciamientos, priests^ and prickly-pears f 

The cultivation of the soil, in northern Mexico, is slovenly 
in the extreme. Agriculture there is yet the veriest drud- 
gery ; as it always must be when not pursued with system 
and intelligence. The labors of the farmer, in our country, 
now rendered comparatively light and pleasant by the im- 
provements which science and the inventive genius of our 
people have suggested, are there performed, of course, at a 
great disadvantage, with the most antiquated implements of 
husbandry. At a ranclio on the Rio Grande, near wdiich we 
landed for wood, we had an opportunity of examining for the 
first time a Mexican plow. It may be best and briefly des- 
cribed as a forked stick pointed, with a huge ox horn as a 
substitute for a share. Not a particle of metal was employed 
in its construction, and probably it was only serviceable for 
scratching the alluvial borders of the river. It was just such 
an implement as has been used for centuries on the banks of 
the Nile ; and was fashioned much like that curious speci- 
men of eastern art — the Syrian plow — which w^as exhibited, 
in the midst of many beautiful modern American tools, like 
a senseless mummy, among the active and useful agents of ag- 
riculture, at the Ohio State Fair, held at Columbus in 1851. 

Domestic animals are numerous in Mexico, but they arc 



THEIK DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 53 

very inferior to ours. The mustangs possess scarcely more 
than half the size and strength of our northern horses, and 
are entirely unsuited for farm work or military service. Many 
of them exhibit marks of fine blood, but from the effect of 
climate or food, neglect or close breeding, they have sadly 
degenerated from rheir famous Andalusian ancestry. The 
Mexicans are a nation of horsemen, or mulemen, — even the 
beggars are mounted. I never saw one traveling a pied. 
None are so poor as not to have a riding animal ; they throw 
the lariat too well for that. With them, the mule and ass are 
literally '• beasts of burden," and often made to carry im- 
mense loads. The ox is generally used for draught at the 
plow, and may sometimes be seen clumsily attached by the 
horns to a heavy, unwieldy sort of tumbrel, with low, thick 
wheels of solid wood, and which, though a sufficiently pic- 
turesque object, would be considered a decidedly slow coach 
by our go-ahead people. The fact that the Mexicans have 
existed so long on the boarder of "the universal Yankee na- 
tion," without profiting by any of the useful inventions of our 
country and age, is evidence of a sloth and degeneracy, 
which, if not soon arrested, must, at no very remote period, 
terminate in the ruin of their republic and race. 

In contemplating the entire status of the people, — their po- 
litical, religious, social, and intellectual condition — no atten- 
tive observer, even among themselves, has failed to foresee 
and lament the fate of the country. It must gradually sink, 
from its complication of fatal diseases, into the tomb of the 
Acolhuans and the Aztecs. And not only Mexico, but the 
whole of Spanish America, will probably pass from the do- 
3* 



64: TASTOKAL LIFE IN THE VALLEY OF THE KIO GEANDE. 

minion of the original conquerors into the possession of the 
enterprising blue-eyed Saxon — the chosen people of the age ; 
who, by the way, are even now "prospecting " in the rich 
basins of the Amazon and La Plata. So few are the wants 
of man in those soft and genial climes, that they are easily 
satisfied by fitful and desultory exertion. And as long as the 
people do not feel the pressure of that necessity which makes 
intelligent and industrious citizens, they will continue to be 
vagrant herdsmen and shepherds. The man, too, who merely 
wanders over a country with his flocks, rarely forms the same 
attachment for it, and is seldom as able to defend it, as he who 
mingles the sweat of his brow with its soil as it is upturned 
by his hands. 

The inhabitants of the valley of theEio Grande are chiefly 
occupied in raising stock ; the wool, hides, and tallow of 
which constitute the exports of the port of Matamoros. But 
a pastoral life, generally so propitious to purity of morals and 
strength of constitution, docs not appear to have produced its 
usually happy eflect upon that people. Poets, from the earliest 
days of their art, have been most gracious and complimentary 
to all engaged in that priniative and innocent occupation. 
Those men were shepherds too, who, " as they w^atched their 
flocks by night, all seated on the ground," were made the 
honored recipients of the most joyful tidings ever communi- 
cated by shining angels to sinning man. But neither poets 
nor seraphs, I ween, would tune their harps to the praises of 
these vile rancheros ; the majority of whom are so vicious 
and degraded that one can hardly believe that the ligl.it of 
Christianity has ever dawned upon them. Many of the coun- 



TIIEIE DWELLINGS AND MANNERS. 55 

try people are in quite as " parlous a state " as shepherd 
Corin, whom that rare fellow, Touchstone, makes the subject 
of some exquisite fooling. They are just such " natural phi- 
losophers," and know simply " that the property of rain is 
to wet, and fire to burn ; that good pasture makes fat sheep ; 
and that a great cause of the night is lack of the sun." Never 
elsewhere have I seen such an idle, ignorant, and unenterpris- 
ing a community. Their habitations are constructed of the 
most flimsy materials, and utterly devoid of taste or comfort. 
Along the river we saw some formed of hides, fastened to a \ 
light frame work, and many of reeds placed upright in the 
ground, and interwoven and thatched wdth leaves or grass. 
These domiciles are decorated with rude crucifixes, and per- 
haps a few wretched prints of the Virgin, or " Our Lady of 
Gaudaulupe," the greatest of the native Mexican saints. 
How striking was the contrast everywhere with the United 
States, in which personal comforts of every kind are incon- 
ceivably multiplied and brought within the reach of all ! 

The population of Mexico is said to be about eight millions ; 
more than half of whom are pure blooded Indians, and the 
remainder of every cross and color. Three-fourths or more i 
of the inhabitants of the Northern States are of unmixed In- j 
dian blood. With scarcely an exception, the country people 
are brown, broad, and big-headed bipeds ; and it is only in 
the towns that the traveler sees the fair complexion, regular 
features, and graceful forms of Castile. In regarding the as- 
pect, bearing, and manners of modern Mexicans, it is difficult 
to believe that many of them can be the descendants of that 
chivalrous Spanish race which once gave laws to both liemis- 



< 



56 THE MISERABLE CONDITION OF THE NATION. 

plieres; or, of that fierce Aztec tribe, which, after centuries 
of warfare, pushed the boundaries of their empire from a 
little village of reeds in the marshes of Lake Tezcuco, to the 
shores of the Atlantic and Pacific. The sad and sinking 
teps by which our sister republic — the oldest, and once the 
strongest and wealthiest, power on this continent — has arrived 
at her present low estate, and her people made the bondman 
of even the bold barbarians on her borders, are known to 
every reader. 

" 'Twere long to tell and sad to trace 
Each steps from splendor to disgrace." 

Now, instead of subjugating neighboring tribes, extending 
the limits of their territory, and enriching themselves with 
crowds of prisoners, the Mexicans are unable to defend their 
own provinces from Indian invasion ; and it is stated that 
there are not less than four thousand of their women and child- 
ren at this time enslaved by the wild warriors who wander over 
the vast plains and hills washed by the waters of the Rio 
Grande. How applicable to Mexico the 'words of the pro- 
phet : " Wo to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not s})oiled ; 
and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously 
\ with thee ! When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be 
spoiled ; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacher- 
ously, they shall deal treacherously with thee !" Wo com- 
mend those unhappy ca,])t[ves to the generous and disijiterested 
sympathies of our ardent Flibustiers, and trust that their next 
foray in the cause of freedom and the rights of mankind will 
be to the Camanche country, instead of Cuba. 

The towns on the llio Grande are few and insimiificant. 



MATAMOROS, AFAK OFF AND NEAK. 6'i 

Matamoros, the largest of them, is about fourteen leagues by 
land from the coast. We did not reach it, however, until the 
afternoon of the day after our departure from Camp Belknap. 
On passing " Fort Brown," which is rather below the city, 
our men greeted the star-spangled banner, that then floated in 
triumph o'er its battered walls, with many hearty cheers. 
The fort, as well as the village, Brownsville, that has since 
sprung up around it, takes its name from tlie gallant Major 
who was killed while defending it. Though but a common 
and hastily constructed field-work, it had sustained success- 
fully for one hundred and sixty hours a severe cannonade of 
shot and shells. "We landed near the Mexican Fort Parades, 
on the southern bank. 

Matamoros is situated on a beautiful plain, half a mile from 
the river, and from the landing it presented a very picturesque 
appearance. But a short walk toward it, proved that distance 
had lent its wonted illusions to the view. The beautiful sub- 
urban gardens and cottages that we had so much admired in 
our first glimpse of the town, were found upon a closer in- 
spection to be cow-pens and contemptible huts. Around the 
Plaza — for every Mexican village has its public square — and 
on some of the principal streets, there are a few respectable 
dwellings of two stories, built of adohes, or large unburni 
bricks. The doors and windows are small, and most of the 
latter are protected by stout iron bars, which cause the houses 
to resemble so mai^y prisons. Nor were tlie sulky and swarthy 
faces peering through some of them at the passers by, in the 
least calculated to remove the impression. The streets are 
narrow, unpaved, and, at that season, were very muddy. The 



58 THE FAIR SENORITAS OF MATAMOKOS. 

town liad not sufiered in the bombardment, owing to its dis- 
tance from Fort Brown, and the small calibre of our guns. 
At the American hotel, in the callede Terran^ we were shown 
some balls which had been thrown by Bragg's battery into the 
adjacent garden. Such souvenirs of those perilous days in 
May were interesting to us, who had yet to hear 

" The death-shot hissing from afar— 
The shock, the shout, the groan of war." 

In our stroll through the streets, we saw many senorltas^ 
sitting at the windows — a favorite position — chatting and 
smoking ; for all the women, even of the most polished cir- 
cles, use the fragrant weed. They are all alike, too, in having 
large dark eyes and black glossy hair; the last, it is intimated, 
is not unseldom frequented by those "ugly, sprawlin, crowlin 
ferlies," which the Ayrshire poet once observed upon a lady's 
bonnet, and so humorously addressed. In this, as in many 
other respects, did some of our young and adventurous 
soldiers, in whose minds romance and poetry had painted 
glowing pictures of Spanish beauty and grandeur, suffer a 
disagreeable disenchantment in the city of Matamoros. 

Of course, the foregoing remarks will not be understood as 
referi'ing to the upper tendotn of Matamoros. But the wo- 
men of Mexico, — superior in all classes to the men — even of 
the best society, do not contrast very favorably with their sex 
in our country, either in their mental or personal charms. 
True, their tresses may be like the raven's Aving ; their eyes 
may " shame a night of starlight gleams ;" but among them 
is rarely seen 

" That purity and modesty of mien. 
The mind, the music breathing from the face," 



THE MAKKETS — THE COSTUMES. 59 

which so enhances loveliness in woman, and stamps her — 
angel. Give me the blue eyes, fair locks, and snowy hands, 
of our northern clime. 

During our stay at Matamoros we visited the market plaza, 
where we saw a goodly quantity and variety of fruits and 
vegetables, — some of them quite new to us. But little space 
was devoted to butchers' stalls, from which, and subsequent I 
observation, I inferred that the people consumed much less j 
meat than we carnivorous Americans. The crowd of men 
and women assembled there, citizens and rustics, were all 
smoking. The towns people were generally pretty well 
dressed ; but the costume of the countrymen was plain, and 
peculiar enough to be interesting. Scandals of thick hide, 
coarse cotton trowsers, the unsightly national somhrero^ with 
the indispensable blanket, comprise their raiment. Some 
wear jerkins and pants of leather, both ornamented with 
jingling bell-buttons, which, with their huge iron spurs, cause 
a great rattle and clatter at every movement. To the Ran- 
cheros, who wear this economical apparel, — so suitable to their 
occupation in the thorny chaparral — the Texans have given 
the expressive name of Greasers. One has but to see them ' 
clad in their leather armor, shining from grease and long 
usage, to be satisfied of its propriety. 

In one corner of the market square, were some stacks of i 
fresh grass and fodder, which, as they seemed to possess the 
power of locomotion, attracted the attention of my compan- 
ions. Great was the merriment when, on approaching one 
of them to penetrate the mystery, the half smothered bray of 
an ass broke upon our ears. The immense and well-packer" 



60 AMEBIC AN NEWSrAl'ERS IN MEXICO. 

burden, sweeping the ground on every side, so completely 
concealed tbe patient little donkey, that, like his brother of 
the fable who assumed the lion's skin and regal dignity, he 
might have preserved a successful incog but for his foolish 
and betraying bray. 

Among other places, we visited the office of " The Ameri- 
can Flag," a spirited little tri-weekly paper, the publication 
of which was commenced soon after the capture of the town. 
Its editors, Fleeson, Peoples & Co., kindly offered us late tiles 
of New Orleans papers. There was a great number of patri- 
otic typos in the volunteer army ; and newspapers were es- 
tablished in the course of the war, at every important point 
occupied by our troo^JS. Thus, in addition to the " Flag," 
we had subsequently in Northern Mexico, the " Pioneer," at 
Monterey, and the " Picket-Guard," atSaltillo. The native 
population of the town is said to be about three thousand, but 
at that time the place was full of soldiers, and adventurers of 
every description. For the consideration of some of these 
last, the following polite and pointed advertisement (which is 
copied from the "American Flag" of that date — Sunday, 
August 9th, 184G) was probably intended : 

" TO GENTLEMEN OUT OF EMPLOYMENT. 

" I wish to hire ':wo industrious gentlemen to work in my 
stable. Those who have no business of their own, that can 
work without getting drunk, and obey instructions, can ob- 
tain immediate employment and good pay by applying in 
time to Israel B, Bigelow." 



THE SABBATH IN MATAMQROS. 61 

That particular calmness which distinguishes the Sabbath 
in all God-abiding communities, and by which the holy day 
is intuitively recognized under all circumstances, did not ap- 
pear "to brood with dove-like wings" ov^r Matamoros. 
Stores and drinking-houses were open in every street ; and 
it was evident, from the angry shouts and sound of breaking 
glass that issued from some of the latter, that they were do- 
ing a smashing business. In consequence of the disorders 
arising from intoxication. General Taylor, before starting lor 
Camargo, had enacted a stringent anti-liquor law, to take 
effect as soon as the stock on hand should be exhausted ; but 
it is probable that the adroit smugglers never permitted that 
event to occur. * 

A theater had also been opened by an enterprising histri- 
onic company from New Orleans, whose bill for that evening 



* Orders i Head' Quarters, Army of Occupation, 

No. 94. \ Matamoros, August 2, 1846. 

No spirituous liquors will be permitted to enter the river or the city of Matamoros, 
for the purposes of barter or traffic, on account of any person whatever, whether 
sutlers in the army, or private dealers. Any liquors found in violation of this 
order, will be confiscated and sent to the Quarter-Master in New Orleans, to be 
eold : one-half of the proceeds for the benefit of the informant, the other half to be 
applied to the support of the hospital department. The merchants in Matamoros 
will be permitted to vend the liquors they may have on hand, but to receive no new 
supplies. 

The Commanding General issues this order under the sanction of the General 
Government, and calls upon all officers to give their aid in executing its provisions. 
The Quarter-Master's Department, and Colonel Clarke, will take the necessary 
measures to have it communicated to the persons interested, particularly to the 
dealers in Matamoros, and the masters of all public transports, or other vessels, in 
the river. Any steamboat captains, or other hired persons, that are found violating 
it, will be at once discharged from the service. 

By order of Major General Taylok : 

W. W. S. Bliss. 
Assistant Adjutant .General. 

4 



^,2 BEYNOSA. 

,vas quite in keeping with the place, if not with the day. 
The manager posted the pnblic that, " On Sunday evening, 
August 9th, will be presented for the first time, ' The Dumb 
Girl of Genoa,' and ' The Forest Kose,' together with a great 
variety of singing ; the whole to conclude with a dance in 
wooden shoes, that will be a caution to corns and cock- 
roaches." 

At Matamoros, our men first tasted that inebriating bev- 
erage, pulque^ the whisky of Mexico. Whether in conse- 
quence of their indulgence in it, or some other cause, some of 
them were reported as " absent without leave," when we left 
the town on the 10th of August ; and, by their disobedience, 
were compelled to measure with fatiguing steps the land route 
to Camargo. 

The next village of any importance above Matamoros, is 
Reynosa. There we found a small garrison of regular troops. 
It is very prettily situated on a commanding elevation, about 
a mile from the right bank of the Rio Grande, and contains 
some substantial stone houses ; but its general appearance, like 
that of almost everything else in the country, indicates dilap= 
dation and decay. A short distance below the landing, we 
oassed a number of women bathing in the river ; the length 
)f their hair and tongues disclosing their sex. In the course 
)f our voyage, we encountered several parties of natives 
vashing themselves in the discolored stream, many of whom 
were as destitute of modesty as of clothing. From the cus- 
tom, not uncommon among the lowest class, of wearing pan- 
taloons only, their tawny bodies have been dyed by the sun 
and air, many shades darker than their legs. Hence tlie droll 



A MEXICAN FANDANGO. 63 

mistake of one of our volunteers, who gravely insisted with 
his comrades that these swimmers were dressed in " yallar 
buckskin tights." 

Some of these borderers were quite friendly, and often 
hailed our boat, desiring to sell chickens, eggs, melons, and 
milk. With the view of obtaining supplies of these rare deli- 
cacies, we generally stopped at dark in the vicinity of a 
rancho ; though, sometimes, we were compelled to " tie up " 
at places where, apparently, the foot of man had never trod. 
Near one of the landing places between Matamoros and Key- 
nosa, our soldiers had an opportunity of witnessing that novel 
scene of revelry — a fandango. Such social assemblies are of 
frequent occurrence, and aiford the common people their chief 
amusement. A smooth, well-beaten circle in the open air is 
generally the salle de danse on these festive occasions. This 
is illuminated with torches, and surrounded by tables for 
gaming, to which the Mexicans seem passionately addicted. 
There are tables also for the sale of the vile liquors, and other 
products of the country, which are pleasantly termed refresh- 
men is. A swarthy and sweating crowd, of both sexes, engaged 
in waltzing, gambling, smoking, drinking, etc., I understand 
to be a fandango. 

One night our boat was moored near a solitary hut, in 
which dwelt an old Mexican fiddler. As soon as the musical 
talents of its occupant were discovered, the men sought per- 
mission to spend the evening ashore, for the purpose of en- 
joying, what is termed in our western parlance, " a stag 
dance." Accordingly, the whole detachment landed — except 
the sick, and a few elderly men who had no taste for such 



64 A DANCE ASHORE. 

boisterous mirth — and soon the fan grew " fast and furious." 
It was a singular spectacle, as revealed to us by the light of a 
huge fire on the bank, at which some hungry soldiers were 
roasting a goat ; and the ruddy glow emitted by the smol- 
dering furnaces of the steamer, as she lay with bows inclined 
to the shore. Those who heard that " brisk awakening viol," 
or witnessed that " gay fantastic round," certainly were not 
inclined to think, that 

" They saw in Tempe's vale her native maifls. 
Amidst the lestal sounding shades, 

To some unwearied minstrel dancing." 

In front of the cottage of the musical shepherd, sat one of 
our fifers and the new-found son of Apollo. Though they 
could communicate with each other only through those dulcet 
symphonies, — compared with which " language is said to be 
faint and weak," — yet they formed an amiable orchestra ; 
and, aided by the hoarse blasts of steam which were occasion- 
ally suffered to escape from the boat, succeeded admirably in 
" making the night hideous with discordant sounds." One 
would have supposed, from the energy and evident delight of 
the two artists, thus strangely brought together, that they, at 
least, imagined themselves possessed by the spirits of Fan 
and Paganini. The dancing, too, it must be admitted, was 
eminently suited to the music, and became stronger in pro- 
portion as the wild strains grew louder. As the performers 
trod the measure not upon "the light fantastic toe" alone, 
but with their whole soles^ the clatter of their heavy shoes, 
like the sound of many cymbals, united to swell the din. The 
soldiers, glad to be released from the crowded quarters to 



BURIAL OF A SOLDIEK. 65 

which they had long been confined, vied with each other in 
the extent and singularity of their saltations. They danced 
in couples, but without much regard to time or order ; and at 
intervals the wdiole party indulged in a promenade or rather 
gallojpade of two or three heats around the hut. A heavy 
rain terminated the sport at a seasonable hour, and the men 
returned to the boat much amused and refreshed by their 
exercise, 

"We suffered much while cribbed upon the narrow decks of 
the steamboat, from the great heat of the weather, and the 
mosquitos that nightly environed us like a legion of foul " 
fiends. To the sick (and there were many on board) those 
roasting days and restless nights were particularly trying. 
We lost but one man during the trip, — one of the Dayton 
volunteers, Co, B. His death had a very depressing eifect 
upon the invalids who were stretched around him on the 
cabin floor, and who seemed not to have anticipated the 
sudden invasion of the King of Terrors, Late in the after- 
noon of the day of his decease, we landed to perform the 
sad funeral rites of poor Dix, — for such was his name, " No 
useless coffin inclosed his breast," but wrapped in his blanket, 
the dead volunteer was borne in the arms of his comrades to 
a grave which had been prepared in the chaparral, close by 
the shore, and where the last honors were performed by a 
corporal's guard. Attracted by the volleys of the funeral 
escort, and understanding their import, a very respectable old 
Mexican, whose Jiacienda was near by, came down to the 
boat. He was accompanied by his wife, a fine specimen of 
the Spanish matron, in manners and appearance. They were 



66 VISIT OF A MEXICAN. 

closely followed by a timid female slave, who carried in her 
arms a neatly dressed child. Pleased with the superior air 
and bearing of this family group, and gratified by the confi- 
dence they exhibited, we invited them to the cabin, where we 
passed a pleasant half hour in conversation with them. The 
old gentleman was well informed on the topics of the times ; 
and far better acquainted than most of his countrymen with 
the power and resources of the hostile republics. He con- 
fessed that he saw but little prospect of success for Mexico in 
the pending struggle ; acknowledged that his country was 
badly governed ; and that he did not care much how the war 
terminated. These remarks were received with some grains 
of salt. His wife — a handsome woman, with pleasing man- 
ners, and qmtQfair as well as fat and forty — seemed pleased 
with the visit, and gracefully acknowledged the respectful 
attentions of our people and their kindly notices of her child. 
As our boat-captain was anxious to clean out the boilers, 
in which much mud had accumulated, we determined to remain 

all night at the place ; and informed Senor , when he 

arose to depart, that we would take pleasure in returning his 
visit after supper. "We did so at the time appointed. On 
arriving at the house, or houses^ (for there were several small 
tenements clustered around the principal building, — the for- 
mer occupied by ihQjpeons^ we were politely received by our 
host, and offered cigaritas and seats in the open air. The 
Mexicans generally are skillful fabricators of cigaritas ; little 
cigars made of fine cut tobacco, with wrappers of thin corn- 
husk or paper. These materials they always carry about 
their persons, — the tobacco frequently tied up in the corner 



WE VISIT A MEXICAN HACIENDA. 67 

of the pocket-handkerchief, and the husk in the somljrero. 
Our host was a capital cigar-maker, and while engaged in 
earnest conversation, manufactured the pleasant little rolls 
as fast as three or four persons could consume them. He wa; 
a man of considerable substance, and in addition to his case 
de Gcimjpo (country house) owned, as he informed us, a dwell 
ing in the town of Reynosa. On his large estate, whicl 
extended for many leagues along the river, were grazing ; 
great number of mustangs, mules, cattle, sheep and goats 
the tithe of which, he said, were sometimes stolen by th*. 
Camanchcs, at one fell swoop. Fifty of his best pack-mule 
had recently been hired to the American quartermaster a 
Camargo ; and he informed us that many others were bein 
sent there by the Mexicans, to be employed in transportin 
our baggage and supplies to Monterey. In the course of cor; 

versation, Senor asked us, how many voluntarios wer 

coming to Mexico ? He was told in reply, that we did no 
know what number had been ordered to the Eio Grande ; 
but certainly enough for present purposes ; and that nearly 
every man in the United States capable of bearing arms was 
ready, if required, to join Taylor's army. From the incredu- 
lous air with which the latter part of this response was 
received, it was evident that the old man knew more of the 
opposition to tlie war at home, than had been supposed. 
Possibly he may have been enlightened by some of th< 
" Stars " and " Torchlights," or other equally luminous and 
rabid anti-war prints published in Ohio ; whose editors, no 
content with opposing the cause of their country, engaged ii 
the pitiful business of abusing those who dared not only t< • 
differ from them, but to take part in the strife. 



68 WE VISIT A MEXICAN HACIENDA. 

The road from Matamoros to Camargo was not far from 
the river at that point ; and we were informed that a column 
of American infantry had been seen passing np that day. 
From the vague and incoherent description given of it by 
one of the ^eons^ we were led to suppose that it was composed 
in part of the remaining battalion of onr regiment. In this, 
however, we were mistaken; although, as the distance be- 
tween the two places is more than twice as great by the sinu- 
ous Rio Grande as by the road, it would have been possible 
for active and healthy troops to march it in less time than our 
slow boat could steam it, — traveling as we did only during 
daylight. Before our departure from the hacienda, we were 
invited to enter and partake of some goat's milk ; which — 
upon observing a fold near the house containing some hun- 
dreds of " the bearded people " — we had expressed a desire 
to taste. The patriarchal beverage was delicious. An unu- 
sual number of weapons were hanging upon the walls of the 
apartment; and which, the old gentleman remarked, were 
used by his household against the Indians, who, since the 
commencement of the war had become very bold and trouble- 
some ; that but the week previous a large and daring band of 
Camanches had invaded the neighborhood, and driven off a 
number of horses and fat cattle, besides killing three Mexi- 
cans in the foray. 

It was night when we returned to the boat, for in that 
latitude the twilight is so brief as to be scarcely percepti- 
ble. The sun disappears, and darkness almost immediately 
" broods over the still and pulseless world." But those 
southern nights are enchantingly beautiful. Nothing arrested 



THE NIGHTS IN MEXICO. 69 

my attention more, during the many weary vigils of the cam- 
paign, than those glittering hosts, which at set of sim, were 
ever seen in regular and stately march through that pure, un- 
clouded firmament. No where else have " the lights that 
rule the night " appeared so brilliant or lovely. On reach- 
ing the steamer, we mounted to the hurricane deck to enjoy 
the night breeze, that laded with fragrance stole across from 
the Texas bank. The scene around us that night, forms one 
of those interesting pictures of the campaign which the 
memory has retained more faithfully than the pen can deline- 
ate. On one side of us, the restless and turbid stream, roll- 
ed moaning to its' ocean-bed ; on the other a vast expanse 
of prairie and chaparral, o'er which comes the howl of 
wolves and the answering bark of w^atch-dogs at the ranche. 
The silent sentinels pace with ghost-like tread upon the 
shore, as if fearing to disturb the last long sleep of their 
departed comrade, over whose fresh grave the thick bushes 
bending mournfully in the breeze, weep their dewy tears. 
Stretched in slumber on the decks are whole ranks of men, 
many of them with their greasy haversacks drawn over their 
faces, to protect them from the mosquitos that swarm out 
from the shore. But even these are not secure from the 
insidious assaults of the pigmy enemy. For see how often 
they start and wake, — how they shake their sufibcating masks 
as impatiently as hungry cavalry horses toss their empty nose- 
bags, — how they smack right and left at the gray-coated gal- 
linippers, " then swear a prayer or two, and sleep again." 
While these are " dreaming of breaches, ambuscadoes, Span- 
ish blades," a party of officers in the cabin are drinking 



70 WE KEACH CAMAKGO. 

healths^ five fathom deep. And still below them on the 
boiler deck, a number of soldiers are making merry over a 
certain fatted calf, found coucJiant near the landing; and 
whose peaceful ruminations have been interrupted by a single 
well-directed bayonet thrust. 

Long before dawn of the following day, the steam was his- 
sing like an angry serpent through the cleansed boilers and 
pipes ; and with the first light we were again upon our wind- 
ing way to Camargo, which place we reached at noon on 
Sunday, August 16th. The town is situated on the right 
bank of the San Juan, about a league above its confluence 
with the Rio Grande. As all our men were wearied, and 
many indeed sickened, by a long confinement on the com- 
fortless steamer, it was with unusual satisfaction that we 
beheld our boat gliding, at an unexpected moment, into the 
mouth of that beautiful little stream. Its limpid waves flow- 
ing between high banks (for draining a country of compara- 
tively limited extent, its flood had subsided) formed an 
agreeable contrast to the dark, swelling tide of the Rio 
Grande. The water of the latter is, however, more palatable 
/ and more healthful, when its 20 per centum (literally as well 
Vi?, figuratively) of mud is precipitated. The American camp, 
with its right resting on Camargo, extended for a considera- 
ble distance along the river. The soldiers who loitered on 
the shore filling their camp-kettles, or stood knee deep in the 
water, washing their shirts, engaged in the usual skirmish of 
wit with our men, as we passed slowly up. On reaching the 
village, we pushed our prow into the landing where a com- 
pany of Texas Rangers, with all the boisterous merriment of 



FIRST INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL TAYLOR. 71 

undisciplined troops, were engaged in cleaning their horses. 
Just above them, a party of the village women were coming 
to the stream for water, with the most primitive-looking 
earthen jars upon their heads. 

Having sent an officer to the quarter-master's office, in 
quest of wagons with which to transport our equipage to the 
camp, we set out to report at head-quarters the arrival of our 
detachment. In our walk thither, we were overtaken by an 
officer wearing the uniform of a brigadier general, who, 
after exchanging salutations, informed us that he was General 

, of the State of . Learning our destination and 

object, he politely oflered to accompany us to head-quarters 
and introduce us to General Taylor. Passing on through 
some narrow streets and lanes, and between gardens sur- 
rounded by mud walls, on the top of which grew many vari- 
eties of the luxuriant cactus plant, we arrived in a few min- 
utes at a little grassy lot just without the town, in the center 
of which were pitched three soiled and ragged tents. A 
small guard of dragoons was posted near by. The spot was 
remarkably quiet, being removed from the noise and bustle 
of both the camp and village. Under an awning in front 
of the tents, sat a solitary man, dressed in linen coat and 
trowsers, twirling a straw hat between his fingers, and appa- 
rently conversing with or dictating to some one within. The 
first glance assured us that it was the old hero, with whose 
name and fame the country was then ringing ; and as we 
approached, we recognized the mahogany complexion, pierc- 
ing eye, iron-grey hair, and stout frame, which we had been 
told distinguished the commanding general. As he arose to 



72 APPEARANCE OF CAMARGO. 

greet us, I was struck with the benevolent expression of his 
face, and the affability of his manner. He was invested with 
no silly pomp or ceremony. There was no ice to break in 
approaching him ; but the natural grace and kindness of his 
reception at once placed us at ease, and during the time he 
gave us audience, our respect and admiration for the sturdy 
old republican general momentarily increased. His iirst 
question was concerning the health of the men, about which 
he seemed extremely solicitous ; and he expressed his anxiety 
to hasten his army forward into a more salubrious region. 
He conversed with a stammering voice. But if slow of 
speech, no man could be more prompt in action than Old 
Rough and Ready. On arising to take leave, which we did 
at the earliest suitable moment, he desired us to report to 
General Worth, who, he said, was in command at the 
camp. 

Returning to the boat, we had the satisfaction of finding 
the wagons already laden with our sick and baggage. The 
road to camp led us through the town, — if piles of crumbling 
clay and straw might be so called. A short time previous to 
its occupation by our troops, Camargo liad been inundated, 
and many of the houses being built of soft sun-dried bricks, 
had partially dissolved. TheToofs of some of them were yet 
clinging mournfully to one tottering wall. The little church 
and a few buildings around the Plaza, were in tolerable pres- 
ervation. These were occupied as store-houses by our quar- 
ter-masters and commissaries. But few Mexicans remained 
in the town, the population of which could at no period 



WE REACH THE CAMP. 73 

have exceeded one or two thousand.* A brisk march of half 
an hour brought us to the left wing of the emcampment, 
where we pitched our tents and patiently awaited the arrival 
of the remaining battalion of our regiment. 



* The village of Camargo probably derives its name from Diego Munos Ca- 
margo, a native, and the historian of the celebrated Haskalian tribe, which was 
associated with the Spaniards in the conquest of the city of Mexico. Camargo 
lived in the latter half of the sixteenth century, was educated in the Catholic faith, 
and composed his " Historia de Hascala " in the Castilian language. 



CHAPTEK lY. 



Camp scenes at Camargo.— General Worth.— The review.— The regular troops 
sent forward to Cerralvo. — Great sickness and mortality in the volunteer regi- 
ments. — Character and conduct of the natives. — Our treatment of them.' — The 
Proclamation.— The Army and Church of Mexico.— Their influence on the gov- 
ernment. — Eager and enthusiastic spirit of the Volunteers. — The Rangers. — 
Brigades organized for the field. — Limited means of transportation. — The Mexi- 
can jockeys and our Horse Market.— Something of a shower. — General Hamer's 
brigade crosses the San Juan preparatory to marching for Monterey. 



A STROLL through the encampment, on the morning after 
our arrival at Camargo, afforded me, — a raw volunteer, — 
much pleasure and instruction. It was the first of any mag- 
nitude, and by far the most beautiful one I had ever beheld. 
Never before, indeed, had I seen a battalion of our regular 
troops, either in camp or garrison. But there, in the same 
field, were horse, foot and artillery ; not in great force, it is 
true, but perfect in all their appointments and discipline. 
Pour light batteries, of six guns each, a few squadrons of 
dragoons, and lour brigades of infantry, (comprising the 
divisions of Twiggs and Worth,) in all about three thousand 
men, comprised the regular army of General Taylor. The 
tent of every oflicer and private was pitched in its proper 
place, so that knowing a man's rank and company, his quar- 
ters could be almost as easily found as any number in the 
streets of our principal cities. In front of the camp was a 
vast and well smoothed parade-ground ; along the edge of 



CAMP SCENES. *■ 75 

which was a row of fading fires, at which breakfast had just 
been prepared. The long lines of white canvas and stacks 
of burnished arms, interspersed with umbrageous rose- wood 
and mesqueet trees ; troops of splendid horses, standing 
with the calm dignity of veterans at their pickets ; batteries 
of artillery, their bright muzzles gleaming from beneath tar- 
paulins like watch- dogs peering from their kennels ; these 
assisted in forming one of those impressive martial spectacles 
that swell the veins and give fresh vigor to the step. Militia 
camps and parades I had often witnessed, but though every 
man wore the lace, and feathers, and gaudy trappings of a 
Field Marshal, they presented but a sorry mimicry of war. 
Here, however, was Mars himself; in repose, yet armed c&p- 
a-pie and ready for action. The very calmness and order 
that pervaded the camp would have told plainly enough that 
it was no holiday affair, even if many of the quiet men 
around us had not exhibited upon their persons and bronzed 
faces the marks of recent battle. It was one of those scenes 
that sent the mind wandering back through many a bright 
old page of histoiy, until it dwelt again with all the delight 
of boyhood, upon those vivid and magnificent camp and 
battle-pieces with which the Prince of Poets has adorned his 
Iliad. And I am inclined to think, that the appearance ot 
Achilles himself, brandishing in triumph his bloody spear, 
and dragging behind his chariot the body of some vanquished 
enemy, would not, at the moment, have in the least aston- 
ished me. 

At the quarters of the 3d infantry, I was courteously re- 
ceived by an officer to whom I had brought a letter from a 



76 bkagg's battekies. 

mutual friend, and through whom I at once became ac- 
quainted with other gentlemen of that gallant corps. He 
politely proposed accompanying me to the quarters of Gen- 
eral "Worth, to whom I had been prevented by sickness 
from reporting in person, on the previous evening. We 
paused in our walk to witness the morning drill of Captain 
Bragg's excellent company of artillery. The horses, as well 
as men, seemed to understand their business perfectly ; and 
being of " fine bone and blood," they whirled the guns and 
caissons over the plain with wonderful rapidity and ease. 
These light field batteries, in which the canoneers ride upon 
the gun carriages, ready for action at any moment, are very 
efficient for quick work ; and with sufficien 1 aorse-power, are 
certainly the most formidable auxiliaries that science has 
ever given to w^ar. Captain Bragg, a skillful and coura- 
geous officer, is, I understand, distinguished for his attention 
to the minutio3 of his profession ; a merit to be esteemed no 
less than heroic daring, when it is remembered what disasters 
may result in critical moments from the most trifling casual- 
ties, such, for example, as the loss of a horse-shoe or linch- 
pin.* He was in Fort Brown during its long bombardment. 
There, his light pieces were of little service as battering guns. 
So at Monterey. But in the open field of Buena Vista, our 
horse-artillery exhibited its terrible power. There, in fact, 
(as General Taylor states, in his rejjort of the battle) it saved 
the day. " Moving rapidly over the roughest ground, it was 

* Caesar, whose great sagacity and conduct put success as much out of the power 
of accident as human reason could well do, remarks in tiie third book of his Com- 
mentaries: ^'' Furtuiia qtics plurimiim potest, cum in aliis rthus, turn pracipue in hello 
in parvis momentis magnas rerum mutationes efficit/'' 



GENERAL WORTH. 77 

always in action at the right place and the right time ; and 
its well-directed fire dealt destruction in the masses of the 
enemy." 

We found General Worth, in this, my first and only inter- 
view with him, pacing his tent with much the air of a caged 
lion. He had that morning received orders to hold his divis- 
ion in readiness for a movement in the direction of Monterey ; 
and was most anxious to hasten events. He informed us 
that he would march on the 19th, and was to establish him- 
self at Cerralvo until the arrival of the other divisions at that 
place. Colonel Duncan had just returned from a reconnois- 
sance to Puntaguada, and reported that the roads, which it 
was supposed had been made nearly impassable by the sum- 
mer rains, were in good condition, and that water was not so 
scarce as on the route between Matamoros and Camargo. 
This was cheering intelligence, and the ambitious and chiv- 
alrous spirit of Worth, chafed at missing the glories of Palo 
Alto and Resaca, now burned to press forward and pluck 
from the hights of Monterey a laurel as fresh and green as 
that which crowned his rival. 

It will be recollected by the reader that, in consequence of 
a disagreement with General Twiggs concerning rank, 
(Twiggs being the senior colonel, and Worth a general by 
brevet) he had resigned his commission and returned to the 
United States before the battles on the Rio Grande were 
fought. When the unexpected and startling news of those 
actions reached him at Washington, he withdrew his resigna- 
tion and immediatelv repaired to Mexico, where he added 
greatly to his reputation as a soldier, by the brilliant manner 
■i* 



78 GENEKAL WORTH. 

in wliicli he fought his division throughout the war. The 
blow upon his fame, — from which he was then evidently suf- 
fering, — like that of Achilles, had been self-inflicted by his 
voluntary retirement from the camp. And like the Grecian 
hero, he was destined to learn that " those wounds heal ill, 
that men do give themselves." The countenance, address 
and manners of this distinguished General, were exceedingly 
prepossessing. His features were strikingly handsome, and 
his face possessed that bright, healthy hue which contrasts so 
well with the gray locks of age. His appearance and bear- 
ing were imposing and knightly ; his person and gait erect 
and military ; his voice clear and pleasing ; his utterance 
very rapid yet distinct. His manners were at times, perhaps 
a little ostentatious ; and in that regard as well as in other 
respects, he diflered greatly from the commanding general. 
Most soldiers in comparing these two generals, (whose char- 
ters Death has already given over to the impartial pen of 
History) would probably have concluded that, while no one,— 
not even Murat or Macdonald — could lead troops in a charge 
more fiercely than the fiery and enthusiastic "Worth ; yet that 
upon the deliberate courage, unbroken composure and uncon- 
querable will of Taylor, it would be safer to rely for success 
in all the varying chances of a campaign. "Worth, with all 
his ardor, united great military skill and judgment ; but 
though a more brilliant soldier, of acknowledged talents and 
courage, he never inspired the volunteer army, at least, with 
the same confidence and admiration as did Taylor. Yet was 
he an extraordinary man, and his untimely death has caused' 
a ]>lank in the American army which will not soon be filled. 



REVIEW OF TKOOPS. 79 

I was much pleased with the visit, and felt gratified, proud 
indeed, that my country possessed such a general. Before 
leaving his tent, he courteously invited the oflicers of my 
battalion to attend a review of the regular troops, which was 
to take place that afternoon. 

I have ever regarded myself as very fortunate in reaching 
Camargo in time to behold that review, wliich was decidedly 
the most imposing of the campaign. That man is little to be 
envied whose heart would not swell with gratitude and pat- 
riotism, in contemplating such an army ; whose valor and 
firmness had recently saved the periled honcr of his country. 
Though there were hardly three thousand troops in the line, 
the display was admirable and gratifying. The men were in 
excellent condition and looked invincible. The officers, 
young, brave and intelligent, were (it may be safely as- 
serted) superior to any Europe can boast, in professional 
skill.* 

Soon after the formation of the line, the generals, attended 
by a brilliant stafl', rode down from right to left. Taylor 



* In common with eveiy candid observer of events in Mexico, I would cheerfully 
testify to the incalculable benefits derived by our country from its Military Acade- 
my. Not only did it give to the regular army nearly all its efficiency, but its ad- 
vantages were lealized to a considerable extent, in every volunteer corps connected 
with the war. To the thorough military training and knowledge which it imparts, 
the nation is much indebted lor a series of splendid victories; any one of which 
would more than compensate it for all the expenditures at West Point. That will 
be an unfortunate day for the Republic, when Congress, influenced eiiher by mo- 
tives of fancied economy or the vile appeals of the demagogue, shall consent to 
abandon an institution which has already done much to establish the reputation 
and extend the borders of the country ; and which is constantly spreading among 
us that intelligence and skill by which the jjeoplc- — in their freedom from the burden 
of a large standing army — may at any time be converted into the grandest host o 
soldiers that ever battled in any cause or clime. 



80 KEVIEW OF TKOOPS. 

clad in plain undress, was conspicuous in the glittering 
group. Every eye was fixed upon him as lie passed from 
corps to corps, acknowledging the salute of each. After he 
had taken a favorable position in the field, the line was 
wheeled into column of companies, and then with a grand 
and inspiriting burst of music from the bands, that glorious 
little army passed in review, moving as one man across the 
reverberating plain. Floating high o'er the column was that 
splendid " standard of the stars," to which Drake has as- 
cribed so poetical and beautiful an origin, and which he has 
described too, in lines that few Americans can read without 
feeling their hearts beat within them as at the sound of a 
trumpet. Ah ! the imperial eagles of Rome and France 
were not more secure in the midst of the immortal " Tenth 
Legion " and the unyielding " Old Guard," than is that 
heaven-born banner there ! 

" Flag of the brave ! thy folds shall fly, 
The sign of hope and triumph liigh ! 
When speaks the signal trumpet tone, 
And the long line comes gleaming on, 
Ere yet the life-blood, warm and wet, 
Has dimmed the glistening bayonet. 

Each soldier's eye shall brightly turn, 

To where thy meteor glories burn. 

And as his springing steps advance, 

Catch war and vengeance from the glance ! " 

It was indeed a soul-stirring scene, and we earnestly wished 
that every volunteer in the army could witness and would 
emulate the soldiership it exhibited. A distinguished officer 
of the 3d infantry, who shortly afterward expired under the 
walls of Monterey, pointed to us, during the review, the vari- 
ous battalions and commanders in the field ; and related some 



ADVANCE UPON MONTEREY. 81 

interesting incidents connected with the history of many oi 
them. In reply to a remark of mine concerning the troops, 
he said — " Yes, this is very fine, certainly ; but our boy;- 
always look better in a blaze. You will soon see what stuf 
is beneath those blue jackets." 

The day after the review, (August 19th) General Worth 
marched with his division for Cerralvo, — a town about mid- 
way between Camargo and Monterey. No serious opposition 
was anticipated short of the last named city. Bold and 
strong indeed must that Mexican force have been, which 
could have dared to face that splendid van-guard, led by the 
keenly excited genius and angry courage of Worth. The 
remaining brigades of the regular army soon afterward 
passed to the left bank of the San Juan, and were pushed 
forward in rapid succession. Meanwhile detachments of vol- 
unteers were being daily brought up by the boats, but it was 
not until a week after our arrival that the marching column 
(composed, as the reader has seen, of six companies from 
each regiment) reached Camargo. General Twiggs, who, 
marching rapidly up from Matamoros with the Dragoons and 
Flying Artillery, had passed the column on the road, re- 
ported, with his usual sportive and mirth-provoking humor, 
that the volunteers were in exceeding bad plight, that thei: 
patriotism was oozing out at their toes, and that their officer: 
were compelled to encourage them forward by stirring 
speeches, at least thrice a day. At the commencemenS^ 
of the campaign it was a standing joke among the regulars, 
that the officers of volunteers found it necessary to enforce 
every trifling order with a stump speech ; and that therefore 



82 DISCIPLINE OF TKOOPS. 

the discipline of each regiment depended pretty much upon 
the eloquence of its colonel. At this jest, and its accom- 
panying illustrative anecdotes, we have laughed as heartily 
as our good-natured brethren of the old line ; and, indeed, 
considering the character of our people, there may have been 
some room for such innocent raillery. It certainly was calcu- 
lated to do more good than any severe and unkind profes- 
sional criticism ; which would have engendered much ill- 
feeling between the old and new troops. None knew better 
than the regular officers, that the volunteer regiments con- 
tained the best material in the world, from which to mold 
an eflScient army ; but it required time, tact, and much for- 
bearance, to accustom those independent spirits to the yoke 
of military discipline. The volunteers, unlike the mass of 
the regular army, had always been their own masters, and 
it could scarcely be expected that they should abandon at 
once all their habits of free thought and free action, and 
become passive and obedient instruments in the hands of 
others. Their good sense, however, aided by a little experi- 
ence, and the example of all who valued tlie reputation of 
their regiments, and the honor of their states, soon rendered 
most of the volunteers quite equal to the regulars, in the 
prompt, cheerful, and full discharge of every duty. 

.On the 23d of August, our regiment was again concen- 
trated by the arrival of the six companies which had marched 
from Camp Belknap under Lieutenant Colonel Weller. The 
journey, performed under midsummer suns, and through a 
country but scantily supplied with water, was a severe and 
trying one to our unripe troops. Several of the wagons 



MORTALITY AT CAMAEGO. 83 

came in laden with sick and dying men, among wliom we 
were pained to find Lieutenant S., of Company B, (Dayton 
volunteers,) one of the most energetic,' reliable, and useful 
officers of the 1st Ohio regiment. His death, which occurred 
on the morning of the 26th, was, to many of his comrades, 
one of the most distressing events of the campaign. Lieut. 
S. had already displayed an activity, and tractable disposi- 
tion, that won him the confidence and esteem of his superior 
officers, while his cheerfulness, and the good humor with 
which he bore every privation, had made him a favorite with 
all. He possessed, too, all those sterling qualities of the 
soldier, which, had fate permitted, would have gained him 
an enviable reputation. 

The mortality in our camp at Camargo was appalling. 
The dead march was ever wailing in our ears, and even at 
this distant period, I can scarcely look back to our brief stay 
there without a shudder. At almost every hour of the day, 
funeral escorts of various regiments might be seen following 
tlie bodies of departed comrades to that vast and common 
cemetery, the chaparral, where officers and men, " in dust, 
without distinction lie." The large hospital-tents were con- 
stantly full — the dead being removed at sunrise and sunset, 
but to make room for the dying. The groans and lamenta- 
tions of the poor suflerers during those sickly, sultry nights 
were heart-rending. Upon our arrival at Camargo, we had 
been informed by the natives that it was the most sickly 
place in the valley, but the appearance of the country did 
not indicate it, nor have I ever heard it attributed to any 
satisfactory cause. An examination of the circumjacent 
country might perhaps, have led to tlie discovery of some 



84 MORTALITY AT CAMAEGO. 

swamps or pools of stagnant water, left from the overflow of 
the San Juan. 

General Taylor, though busied with the many important ar- 
rangements upon which his subsequent success would depend, 
yet frequently found time to visit the hospitals, and cheer 
their inmates with 'kind and sympathizing words. In a 
communication to the adjutant general, dated Camargo, 
Sept. 3d, 1846, he says, " I have used every eflbrt to extend 
the hospital accomodations and the medical force, but the 
service is sufiering greatly in this latter particular. There 
has been great sickness and mortality in some of the volun- 
teer regiments. Great numbers are taken into the several 
general hospitals, and no exertion is spared to ameliorate 
their condition." The deficiency of medical officers here 
alluded to, was seriously felt in many regiments. But " the 
laws of the land," said the surgeon general, in reply to Gen- 
eral Taylor's complaint of the scarcity of surgeons, " awarded 
two medical officers to a full regiment of 750 men," and as 
there were more than that number serving with the Army of 
Occupation, ergo^ the complaint was groundless, and the 
surgeons in the field were censurable for not performing 
their duty. Our regiment was fortunate in securing at the 
onset two skillful surgeons, and in being generally concen- 
trated. But there were others, which, being divided and 
sub-divided for garrison and escort duty, often suffered sadly, 
in consequence of what the surgeon general asserted to be 
" military propriety, and the customs of the service." * It 

* " I have given all in the way of medical aid which military propriety, and the 
customs of the services in like cases, and the wants of the army seem to require ; 



DEALINGS WITH THE NATIVES. 85 

is due to the chiefs of the various staff departments of the 
army, to remark that they did all, and often more than "the 
regulations" required from them ; but they should have been 
neither disappointed nor dissatisfied when gently reminded 
by the general commanding in the field, that the very nice 
calculations made at Washington, did not altogether meet the 
exigencies of every climate and service. 

At Camargo we were tolerably well supplied by the Mex- 
icans with fresh provisions, for which they took care to exact 
exorbitant prices. These native hucksters were a morose and 
knavish set. Taught to hate all foreginers, and especially 
"/o5 Yankees^'''' they looked — even when pocketing our dol- 
lars — as sour as their own bitter oranges when the green 
rinds have received the first tinge of sickly yellow. As they 
were allowed to enter the camp at all hours, they of course 
kept their friends at Monterey well advised of our condition 
and movements ; while, in their dealings with us, they were 
close-mouthed and professedly ignorant beyond example. 
Nothing scarcely could be extracted from them save the price 
of the articles they offered for sale, and which they uttered 
glibly enough. To every question touching their roads, coun- 
try, towns, troops, etc., even when put in the purest Castil- 
ian, the usual reply was, " no entende^ Senor^''^ (don't under- 
stand you, sir.) It appears that General Taylor, up to this 
time, had failed to obtain any very reliable information con- 
but if they desire more medical officers, they shall have them — with myself to boot, 
if acceptable — and I am borne out in the measure by the government. Far be it 
from me to withhold aught that will contribute to the comfort of one of those gal- 
lant souls who so valiantly fought and so signally triumphed on the battle-fields of 
Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palnia." — From the Letter of the Surgeon General to the 
Adjutant General. 

5 



8G DIFFICULTY OF OBTAINING INFORMATION, 

cerning the designs of the enemy, or even of the country be- 
yond the points to which he had pushed his reconnoitering 
parties. On the eve of marching for Camargo, and but two 
weeks before he fought the battle of Monterey, he remarked 
in a letter to the government, "We have no very recent 
intelligence from the interior, nor have I yet satisfactory 
means of judging whether our occupation of Monterey and 
Saltillo will be disputed." 

Such indeed had been the barbarian policy of the Mexican 
government, and the plundering habits of the Mexican peo- 
ple, that travelers and traders Had been discouraged from vis- 
iting the country; and but few of our citizens knew more of 
its interior than what could be seen along the great thorough- 
fare between Yera Cruz and the city of Mexico. Though 
lying immediately upon the borders of the most enterprising 
and inquisitive nation under the sun, Mexico had remained, 
up to the commencement of the w^ar, almost a terra incog- 
nita. The great wall of China could not have ofiered a more 
effectual barrier to Tartarean invasion, than Mexican legisla- 
tion, insolence, and intolerance have presented to American 
industry and genius. The reader, therefore, will not perhaps 
be surprised to find the quarter-master general (who, like the 
surgeon general found it necessary to vindicate his official 
conduct,) writing as follows, in reply to one of General Tay- 
lor's letters : "As to the complaint i^i regard to the want of 
land transportation, it is proper to remark, that tliere was no 
information at Washington, so far as I was informed, to ena- 
ble me or the War Department to determine wliether wagons 
could be used in Mexico." 



tayloe's proclamation. 87 

Soon after the beginning of the war, our government had 
announced its intention of conducting it in a spirit of liber- 
ality and forbearance ; and it may be safely asserted that no 
people were ever more kindly treated by an invading army. 
Rarely indeed, in time of peace, have the Mexicans extended 
to Americans the same respectful consideration. It appears 
that the Cabinet at Washington entertained a hope that the 
mass of the natives might be propitiated, and, in some mea- 
sure, convinced, that, " the war was waged not against them, 
but a faithless government of military despots, who had both 
deprived them of their liberty, and wronged and insulted us," 
To that end, the government had furnished General Taylor 
with a proclamation to the inhabitants of Northern Mexico, 
(a copy of which is subjoined) indicating the policy it in- 
tended to pursue in prosecuting hostilities, and which many 
persons in our army, in view of the characteristic treachery 
and deep-rooted enmity of the Mexican race, roundly con- 
demned at the time,* Even if the statesmen of the United 

*A PROCLAMATION. 

By the General commanding the Akmy of the United States of America. 
To the people of Mexico : 

" Alter many years of patient endurance, the Ignited States are at lengtli con- 
strained to acknowledge that a war now exists between our government and the 
government of Mexico. For many years cur citizens have been subjected to repeated 
insults and injuries ; our vessels and cargoes have been seized and confiscated ; our 
merchants have been plundered, maimed, imprisoned, without cause and without 
reparation. At length your government acknowledged the justice of our claims, 
and agreed, by treaty, to make satisfaction by payment of several millions of dollars ; 
but this treaty has been violated by your rulers, and the sdpulated payments have 
been withheld. Our late effort to terminate all difficulties by peaceful negotiation, 
has been rejected by the Dictator, Faredes, and our minister of peace, whom your 
rulers had agreed to receive, has been refused a hearing. He has been treated with 
indignity and insult, and Paredes has announced that war exists between us. This 
war, thus first proclaimed by him, has been acknowledged as an existing fact by 



88 THE INFLUENCE OF THE PRIESTHOOD. 

States had interpreted the character of the enemy aright, 
they yet greatly over-estimated the influence of the people of 
the repuhlic / of Mexico, if they supposed that their wishes 
would be in the least regarded by the central government. 
Arms and religion govern Mexico. The soldier and the priest 
control her destinies. The priesthood — perhaps foreseeing 
disastrous results for their church, in the conquest of their 
country by the free-thinking Yankees — promptly brought to 
the aid of the Dictator all their potent, pecuniary, and spirit- 
ual resources. Though quite shrewd enough to know that it 
but little concerned our government whether Christian, Jew, 
Turk, or Infidel possessed the land, yet these holy gentlemen, 

our President and Congress, with perfect unanimity, and will be prosecuted with 
vigor and energy against your army and rulers ; but those of the Mexican people 
who remain neutral will not be molested. 

" "Your government is in the hands of tyrants and usurpers. They have abolished 
your State governments, they have overthrown your federal constitution, they have 
deprived you of the right of suffrage, destroyed the liberty of the press, despoiled 
you of your arms, and reduced you to a stale of absolute dependence upon the power 
of a military dictator. Your army and rulers extort from the people, by grievous 
taxation, by forced loans and military seizures, the very money which sustains the 
usurpers in power. Being disarmed, you are left defenseless, an easy prey to the 
savage Camanches, who not only destroy your lives and property, but drive into a 
captivity, more horrible than death itself, your wives and children. It is your mil- 
itary rulers who have reduced you to this deplorable condition. It is these tyrants 
and their corrupt and cruel satellites, gorged with the people's treasure, by whom 
you are thus oppressed and impoverished ; some of whom have boldly advocated a 
monarchical government, and would place an European prince on the throne of 
Mexico. We come to obtain reparation for repeated wrongs and injuries ; we come 
to obtain indemnity for the past, and security for the hiture; we come to overthrow 
the tyrants who have destroyed your liberties ; but we come to make no war upon 
the people of Mexico, nor upon any form of free government they may choose to 
select for themselves. It is our wish to see you liberated from despots, to drive back 
the savage Camanches, to prevent the renewal of their assaults, and to compel them 
to restore to you, from captivity, your long-lost wives and ciiildren. Your religion, 
your altars and churches, the property of your churches and citizens, the emblems 
of your faith and its ministers, shall be protected, and remain inviolate. Hundreds 
of our army, and hundreds of thousands of our people, are members of the Catholic 
church. In every State, and in nearly every city and village of our Union, Catholic 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE PRIESTHOOD. 89 

pretending to believe all the clap-trap uttered in the United 
States, about the wealth of the country and the mint value 
of certain "golden images" and "silver candelabras," 
aroused the people with stories of our avarice, and avowed 
that the sacred and dearly-prized emblems of their religion 
had been offered as a bounty to American volunteers. Thus 
did the priests forestall our proclamation. If there was any 
disaffection in the land, it added but little strength to our 
cause. The people generally placed no confidence in the 
amicable intentions we published among them, and with the 
exception of the small spy company of Dominguez, which 

churches exist ; and the priest performs his holy functions in peace and security, 
under the sacred guaranty of our constitution. We come among the Mexican people 
as iriends and republican brethren, and all who receive us as such shall be protected ; 
while all who are seduced into the army of your dictator, shall be treated as enemies. 
We shall want from you nothing but food for our army, and for this you shall always 
be paid, in cash, the lull value. It is the settled policy ot your tyrants to deceive 
you in regard to the policy and character of our government and people. These 
tyrants fear the example of our free institutions, and constantly endeavor to mis- 
represent our purposes, and inspire you with hatred for your republican brethren of 
the American Union. Give us but the opportunity to undeceive you, and you will 
soon learn that all the representations of Paredes were false, and were only made 
to induce you to consent to the establishment of a despotic government. 

In your struggle for liberty with the Spanish monarchy, thousands of our coun- 
trymen risked their lives and shed their blood in your defense. Our own Commo- 
dore, the gallant Porter, maintained in triumph your flag upon the ocean, and our 
government was the first to acknowledge your independence. With pride and 
pleasure we enrolled your name on the list of independent republics, and sin- 
cerely desired that you might, in peace and prosperity, enjoy all the blessings of a 
free government. Success on the part of your tyrants, against the army of the 
Union, is impossible ; but if they could succeed, it would only be to enable them to 
fill your towns with their soldiers, eating out your substance, and harrassing you 
with still more grievous taxation. Already they have abolished the liberty of the 
press, as the first step toward the introduction of that monarchy which it is their 
real purpose to proclaim and establish. 

" Mexicans ! we must treat as enemies and overthrow the tyrants, who, while 
they have wronged and insulted us, have deprived you of your liberties ; but the 
Mexican people who remain neutral during the contest, shall be protected against 
their military despots by the republican army of the Union." 



90 EFFECTS OF OUK TEEATMENT, 

joined General Scott's army, remained faithful to their 
tjTants. 

Notwithstanding the temper and conduct of the natives, 
the pledges of the Proclamation were as scrupulously ob- 
served as circumstances would allow. Our army in its early 
marches through the country, moved like a rich and power- 
ful benefactor, scattering with a lavish hand, unheard of 
wealth among the rabble in its path. But ignorance, pride, 
jealousy and bigotry, were not to be thus overcome. Esti- 
mating over much their own resources and the ability of their 
numerous army, or perhaps encouraged to believe from the 
division of opinion in the United States on the subject of the 
war, that we would eventually withdraw from the contest — 
their government, without the prestige of a single victor}^, 
continued to prosecute an active and relentless system of hos- 
tilities. At length, when it was discovered that our gener- 
osity and mild treatment had failed to produce the desired 
effect upon the population, and that they frequently commit- 
ted the most savage outrages upon our troops, the Secretary 
of War instructed General Taylor to draw supplies from the 
enemy without paying for them ; and thus, by making them 
feel the weight of war, become interested in the restoration of 
peace. Beginning to understand the cliaracter of the foe, and 
perceiving the effect of the policy previously avowed, he says 
in his letter: "It is far from being certain that our military 
occupation of the enemy's country is not a blessing to the in- 
habitants in the vicinity. They are shielded from the burdens 
and exactions of their own authorities, protected in their per- 
sons, and furnished with a most profitable market for most 



CONTKASTED WITH THE MEXICAN AKMY, 91 

kinds of their property. A state of things so favorable to 
their interests may induce them to wish the continuance of 
hostilities." But General Taylor never availed himself of 
this autliority to levy contributions, and we continued to pay 
liberal prices for everything obtained from the enemy. 

How differently would the dissolute and brutal soldiery of 
Mexico have conducted themselves in an enemy's country ! 
How differently, indeed, did they often act in their own. We 
have the authority of their historians for asserting that their 
marches through their native provinces were sometimes 
marked by the worst excesses and crimes; that, "they left 
behind them, by their unbridled license, an imprint of horror 
in the towns through which they passed; seizing upon vine- 
yards, sacking shops, and even murdering poor poulterers to 
take away their fowls." So disgusted was an intelligent 
Mexican whom I knew, with the arrogance and extortion of 
his own troops, that he did not hesitate to admit frankly, that 
he ])referrcd the presence of the American army to his own • 
since from the former he was sure of obtaining a fair compen- / 
sation for his property. To a standing army, and an estab- 
lished national church, does Mexico owe niDst of her troubles 
and her poverty. Her government, existing only by the con- 
sent of the army, is in turn compelled to sustain that army 
at all hazards and sacrifices. It is now well understood that 
the recognition of the independence of Texas had been de- 
ferred, and the war with that state nominally prolonged by 
the various military rulers of Mexico, merely as a pretext for 
the exaction of supplies, which were afterward squandered in 
the maintenance of their ill-gotten and much-abused power. 



92 THE GOVEENMENT OF MEXICO. 

The government, being supported by bayonets, always totters, 
when, from its want of credit, and miserable domestic policy, 
it suffers the pay of the troops to fall in arrear. Woe to it in 
such dark hours, for then thrives that baleful mushroom, the 
Pronunciamiento. Nearly all their revolutions, since their 
independence from Spain, have been conceived by ambitious 
generals, and achieved by a greedy soldiery.* In these civil 
wars, the church, of course, is careful to side with that party 
most favorable to its interests ; and it has been truly remarked 
by one of our envoys to Mexico, that, "no political movement 
can succeed there, to which the priesthood is opposed." 

The Mexicans have a very well written constitution ; but 
what is the best system of government worth to those who 
have not moral and intellectual power enough to compel its 
observance? Where the minds and hearts of the people are 
not properly educated, there can be no real freedom ; and to 

*Even mercenary motives have sometimes been wanting to excuse the disloyalty 
of the army— as witness the following passage of history from the Mexican "Notes 
of the War :" 

" During the last month of the administration of Paredes, in consequence of the 
reverses suffered by our troops on the other side of the Rio Bravo, it was agreed to 
organize the same expedition which Santa Anna afterward resolved upon. To re- 
alize it, pecuniary resources were wanting, and a contract was accordingly made 
with the church for $1,000,000, which sum was estimated as being more than suffi- 
cient for the division that should march from the city of Mexico. The state of in- 
ternal politics, and the fear, above all, of abandoning his prey, detained Paredes in 
this city, even after Congress had given him permission to march from Mexico, 
with the forces that were in garrison, and to place himself at the head of the troops 
of the North. This delay began to consume, without profit, the loan from the 
clergy, which, being for the most part wasted, obliged Paredes at last to take the 
forces and relinquish the government, at the end of July, for the purpose of joining 
the army of the North Then he made payments for the march to all the corps, to 
all the officers and chiefs ; with which, a few days after, they flew to the citadel to 
proclaim a new revolution ; and assisted by the very money that ought to have 
served to march to Monterey. Infamous intrigues, to which we owe principally 
the unfortunate issue of our contest at the North." 



THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO. 93 

attempt the establishment of a republic among them, is the 
very folly of building upon sand. Until directed by wisdom 
and virtue, all popular efforts in Mexico, as in France, will 
terminate in a military despotism, or in the crime and 
folly of a Reign of Terror. In the words of the leading 
Democratic paper of New York — which in April, 1853, 
announced the return of Santa Anna to his native shores — • 
" What is chiefly wanted in Mexico, is virtue and intelligence 
among the people ; an intelligence which can not be bamboo- 
zled by priests, and a virtue which will subject the military 
to the civil power ; together with such practical energy as 
will convert the generous resources of nature into the food of 
industry, instead of the nutriment of idleness and beggary." 
Whether these wants will ever be supplied, whether the mili- 
tary will ever be made subject to the civil power so long as 
she perseveres in what her recently exiled President, Arista, 
terms, " that grand enigma, that squaring of the circle — na- 
tionality," is excedingly improbable. For every President 
constitutionally elected by the people, the army can easily 
make a half-dozen "a^Z interim Presidents," as the usurpers 
are called. Look, for example, at the changes of adminis- 
tration in the three years that intervened between the annex- 
ation of Texas, and the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo. In 
that brief period, I believe Herrera, Paredes, Salas, Farias, 
Santa Anna, Pena and Anaya, were severally at the head of 
aflfairs. Was there every such apolitical whirligig? That 
certainly was such "rotation in office" as one might suppose 
would satisfy the most greedy spoils-seeker that ever fought 
in the ranks of Jacobin or Empire club. Nor has the con- 



94: THE FUTURE OF MEXICO. 

dition of the country materially improved since the termina- 
tion of the war. It has been somewhat more trancLuil, but 
it is the calmness of indolence and humiliation. The indem- 
nity, paid in annual installments by the United States, has 
perhaps been the means of sustaining the government, and 
of saving her thus long from anarchy. 

The future of Mexico is one of tlie saddest and most em- 
barrassing political problems of the day. That a country of 
such extent and resources, enjoying a position -which com- 
mands two oceans, (the advantages of which, by the proposed 
Tehuantepec road, it has been left to foreigners to demonstrate,) 
and with eight or nine millions of inhabitants, should be in 
such a hopeless condition, is a ])eculiar phenomenon in history. 
It is scarcely possible that Santa Anna, who has again be- 
come " the Supreme Government," can avert, for more than 
a brief season, her ultimate fate. Even well-informed and 
patriotic Mexicans now cease to regard, whli aversion, the 
" manifest destiny" of their countr3^ Ex-Fresident Arista 
seems to look forward to it with hope and encouragement. 
He says, in a late letter to his government : " I desire the 
happiness of my country, and to attain it, I see no road but 
through federal institutions, and, if it be desired, annexation 
uO the United States, in which Mexico will meet an inex- 
haustible fountain of riches and pros})erity, notwithstanding 
she may lose that grand enigma, that squaring of the circle, 
called by General Santa Anna, Nationality. The day will 
arrive when this will happen." There can be but little doubt 
that a majority of the people of the United States are pre- 
pared to annex Mexico at once, and "the rest of mankind" 



ANNEXATION. 95 

at the proper time; yet a voluntary proposition, on her part, 
for a peaceful amalgamation of the two republics, would per- 
haps be but coldly embraced, if not rejected by some of our 
ardent annexationists, who rejoice in more violent delights. 
To their palates, stolen fruits are always the sweetest. In 
whichever manner the Mexican States may come into our 
Union, it is more to be hoped than expected that they would 
be at once relieved of the incubus which has so long oppressed 
them ; or that the people, long tantalized by the mirage of 
liberty, would be able to appreciate its living waters when 
offered to them in all their freshness and purity. Nor is it 
certain that the connection would be very beneficial to us for 
sometime at least, especially if the whole of Mexico should 
be swallowed at one gulp — as is sometimes mildly proposed 
by our annexationists. In that event, it is likely that — be she 
ever so well " licked " before deglutition — we should find her 
one of those morsels which, " though sweet in taste, prove in 
digestion sour."* * 

*It will be seen by the following extract from a recent speech delivered by the 
Nestor of the Democratic party, (Gen. Cass) that the venerable Senator is of the 
opinion that the gastric juice ot the body politic has not been in the least reduced 
by the digestion of a brace of Mexican states. But considering the fact that those 
were very thinly populated, it might be advisable to swallow the remaining nine- 
teen or twenty at many, and perhaps smaller meals. This would enable us to 
manage an island or two hy way of desert. Meantime the South American states 
may consider themselves as in a pen, fattening for our capacious maws. In good 
time they will doubtless furnish Brother Jonathan with excellent thanksgiving 
dinners. 

In a speech upon Mr. Mason's resolution (in Senate, December 23, 1852,) calling 
for the correspondence concerning the proposed tripartite treaty with England and 
France, for the safeguard to Spain of the island of Cuba, General Cass took occa- 
sion to say, inter alia — " As to the general subject of annexation, I have no new 
views to disclose. It is pretty well known that I have a capacious swallow for 
territory, though I am free to confess that I can wait awhile patiently, it necessary, 
and spend the time in digesting our last acquisitions. They sit lightly on the 



96 SPIKIT OF THE VOLUNTEERS. 

The volunteer army assembled at Camargo was composed 
chiefly of young men, who had just attained the age at 
which the enthusiasm of youth and vigor of manhood are 
united.* The " Young Guard" of Napoleon did not con- 
tain in its ranks more energy, valor, and daring, than was to 
be found in that youthful mass. There were soldiers in 
various regiments whom I had known when " we were boys 
together," who contemplated the prospect of an arduous 
campaign with more pleasure than they ever did a recitation 
in Thucydides or Juvenal. To many of them, a battery was 
a more agreeable object than a black-board, and I am con- 
vinced that some of my old school-mates would have as- 
saulted a bristling tete de pont with more alacrity than they 
had aforetime evinced in demonstrating the pons asinorum. 

stomach, and promise to promote the health of the body politic to a degree surpass- 
ing the most sanguine expectations ot those who expecied most from the measure." 
In the admirable speech from which the above is quoted, the eloquent Senator is 
particularly severe upon the press and people of Great Britain for their Pharasaical 
pretensions, and justly denounces the inconsistency ^th which, after acquiring 
empires by the sword, on the most frivolous pretexts, they presume to arraign this 
country for its rapacity. 

* " The volunteers of Mexico, were the picked men of the nation, who, devot- 
ing themselves to a service more than a thousand miles from home, went to it un- 
der the strong impulse of adventure and love of martial glory. They consisted of 
the young, the ardent, and the brave, who, for the time, renounced all domestic 
pursuits and marched to the field, animated by the hope of distinction, and disen 
thralled from all civil cares and engagements. Thus fortified by resolve, stimula- 
ted by love of the profession, cheered by loud acclamations of friends, unimpeded 
by domestic solicitude, and filled with the ardor and courage of the national char- 
acter, they more resemble the chivalry, which a few centuries ago, assembled 
around Gonsalvo de Cordova, or Gaston de Foix, in their descents upon the fields 
of Italy, than they do any army of modern times. The skill, concert, impetuous 
valor and persevering labor of their assnults, will be the theme of commendation 
from military critics in centuries to come, while the brilliancy of their victories 
over such disproportioned numbers, and the rapidity of their conquest of the 
strongholds of Mexico, will be regarded as the marvels of the age in which they 
were achieved." — Hon. J. P. Kennedy. 



THE TEXAN CAVALRY. 97 

Many adventurous spirits who had failed to obtain desirable 
places in the Infantry, and who were determined to partici- 
pate in the war even as privates, attracted by the loose disci- 
pline and hazardous service of the Texan Cavalry, had 
become Kangers. There were two regiments of Texan i 
troops with the army, commanded by Colonels Hays and 
Wood, comprising the brigade of General Henderson. Their 
knowledge of the character of the enemy and of the military 
frontier, acquired in their long border struggle, rendered 
them valuable auxiliaries in the invasion. Of this far-famed 
corps — so much feared and hated by the Mexicans — I can 
add nothing to what has already been written. The charac- 
ter of the Texan Hanger is now well known by both friend 
and foe. As a mounted soldier he has had no counterpart u 
in any age or country. Neither Cavalier nor Cossack, 
Mameluke nor Moss-trooper are like him ; and yet, in some 
respects, he resembles them all. Chivalrous, bold and im- \ 
petuous in action, he is yet wary and calculating, always 
impatient of restraint, and sometimes unscrupulous and un- 
merciful. He is ununiformed,* and undrilled, and performs 
his active duties thoroughly, but with little regard to order 
or system. He is an excellent rider and a dead shot. His 
arms are a rifle, Colt's revolving pistol, and a knife. Unac- 
customed to the saber or to move in mass, the Rangers are 
of course unable to make a charge upon, or to receive one 
from well-armed and well-disciplined troops. But when an 



* Some wag (doubtless the same individual who remarked that the Georgian cos- 
tume was " a shirt collar and a pair of spurs,") has described the Texan uniform as 
"a dirty shirt and a five-shooter." 



98 TKOOrS EN ROUTE FOK MONTEREY. 

enemy's line is broken by the rapid volleys of their rifles, 
they then "pitch in promiscuously," and finish the work 
with the "five-shooter," — delivering their fire right and left 
as they dash along at full speed. And it must be confessed 
that for a chaparral skirmish, or an " up and down and cross 
over fight" upon house-tops, such as that of the third day at 
Monterey, the Kangers have few superiors. Centaur-like, 
they seemed to live upon their horses ; and, under firm and 
prudent leaders, were eflficient soldiers, especially for scouts 
and advanced post-service, where the necessity for -uninter- 
mitting vigilance left them no opportunity for indulging in 
the mad-cap revels and marauding expeditions for which 
they are somewhat celebrated. 

Before the end of August, all the regular troops were 
en route for the interior ; and intelligence was received from 
General "Worth — who had taken possession of Corral vo — that 
the enemy was in force at Monterey, and would probably 
stand siege. Upon this. General Taylor determined to lose 
no time in moving forward the volunteers, and bringing the 
matter to an issue of arms. On the 28th, the subjoined or- 
der, decisive of the long debated question, " which of the 
new regiments and brigadiers will Taylor take to Monterey ?" 
was published.* We of the First Ohio regiment were much 

* Orders ) Head-Quariers, Army of Occupation, 

No. 108. ) Camargo, August 28, 1846. 

1. Tlie limited means of transportation, and the uncertainty in regard to the sup- 
plies that may be drawn from the theater of operations, imposes upon the com- 
manding general the necessity of taking into the field, in the first instance, only a 
moderate portion of the volunteer force now under his orders. 

2. In addition to the mounted regiments from Texas, four regiments of volunteer 
infantry will be held ready for the march, constituting two brigades and one divi- 
sion, to be commanded by Major General Butler. The Lst Kentucky, and 1st Ohio 



TROOPS EN ROUTE FOR MONTEREY. 99 

rejoiced at our good fortune, and heartily condoled with those 
less successful and loudly lamenting men, who, after coming 
so far to share in the glory of a campaign, were compelled, 
by " the limited means of transportation," to remain for weeks 
and months inactive upon the malarious plains of Camargo. 
The reader will perceive, from Order No. 108, that the four 
regiments of infantry, comprising General Butler's division, 
were reduced to a strength of 500 men each. These, with 
the two regiments of Texan Horse, constituted a force of 3000 
volunteers, which, with about the same number of regulars, 
invested Monterey. The allowance of transportation for the 
march, were as follows: 

regiments will form the first field brigade, under the command of Brigadier General 
Hamer; the 1st Tennessee and the Mississippi regiments, will ibrm the second 
field brigade, to be commanded by Brigadier General Quitman. 

3. The regiments designated will be reduced to a strength of 500 men each, ex- 
clusive of officers, by leaving behind all sick and disabled men, and all who shall 
not be deemed capable of undergoing the fatigues and privations of the campaign. 
These selections will be made under the direction of Major General Butler, in the 
first, and the brigadier generals in the second divisions — a board of medical officers 
being convened in all doubtful cases. It is for the good of the service, and the repu- 
tation of each regiment, that the selections be rigid. 

4. In announcing the above arrangements, the commanding general feels that he is 
disappointing the hopes of many regiments and superior officers, who looked for- 
ward to a participation in the campaign. But they will see that he is controlled by 
the necessities of the case, and that it is impossible to gratify the wishes of all. 
The selections have been made solely with a view to promote the interests of the 
service, and the successful prosecution of the war with present means. The gener- 
al hopes, that after penetrating the country, and ascertaining its resources, he shall 
be able to bring forward other corps now unavoidably left in the rear. 

5. The volunteer regiments, remaining at this place, will be temporarily brigided 
for instruction and camp service. The 2d Kentucky, and 2d Ohio regiments com- 
ing under the command of Brigadier General Marshall, and the other regiments or 
battalions, under that of Brigadier General Pillow, the command will be exercised 
by Major General Patterson, or, in his absence, by the senior brigadier general, 
who will take measures to institute a rigid system of police and discipline. 

By order of Major General Taylor : 

W. W. S. Bliss, 
Assistant Adjutant General. 



100 LIMITED MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. 

To each division and brigade head-quarters, 1 wagon. 

To the iield and staff of each regiment, 4 pack mules. 

To the officers of each company, 2 " 

To every eight non-commissioned officers, 

musicians, and privates, 1 pack mule. 

Three wagons in addition were assigned to each regiment, 
one for the transportation of water, and two for such articles 
as could not be packed on mules. 

Such was the small force and limited means of transporta- 
tion with which General Taylor took up his line of march for 
the interior, and which he was careful to place upon record, 
in a communication, dated September 1st, 1846, to the gov- 
ernment. But doubtful as the result then seemed, his bold 
advance, under the circumstances, had a show of confidence, 
which, if it did not intimidate the enemy, at least inspirited 
our own troops. In consequence of the short allowance of 
mules, a great amount of baggage had necessarily to be aban- 
doned at Camargo. But no complaints were heard on that 
account ; indeed, the troops selected were all too glad to go, 
to stand upon the manner or order of their going. Such was 
their enthusiasm, that they would cheerfully have marched in 
their shirts alone, rather than have missed the fandango^ as 
they facetiously termed the anticipated battle at Monterey. 

Taking advantage of our wants, a number of native horse- 
dealers daily visited our camp, offering mustangs and mules 
at prices previously unheard of in that region. These leather- 
clad jockeys were the most arrant knaves I ever encoun- 
tered, and, in selling their animals, rarely failed to sell the 
purchaser also. The wild, half-broken mustangs generally 



RASCALLY MUSTANG DEALERS. 101 

escaped in a short time to their native chapan-al, for, " the 
Unicorn could not be less willing to serve thee, or abide by 
thy crib ;" or, if detained by strong halters, were often claim- 
ed by other Mexicans, who had doubtless shared the purchase 
money with the vendors. In the prevailing desire to concili- 
ate the inhabitants, and live up to the Proclamation, these 
false claims of ownership were, in many cases, recognized 
upon the bare assertion of the claimant, and the property 
restored ; perhaps to be re-sold and re-claimed again by the 
same villainous confederates. Indeed, it was ascertained that 
one notorious rogue had sold the same mustang to live dif- - 
ferent persons ; the animal having escaped from each succes- 
sively, and been re-captured by the same lasso. The writer 7 
himself can not deny having been victimized by these Cam- 
argo cheats. After purchasing two mustangs— both of which 
disdainfully curled their noses at the wholesome oats given 
them, and finally, breaking from their pickets, disappeared in 
the chaparral — I determined to invest in mule flesh. My 
speculation in that article, however, was equally unfortunate. 
Shortly before our departure for Monterey, a Mexican brought 
a fine mule to my quarters, which I immediately bought. 
After tying the money carefully in his pocket-handkerchief, 
the fellow departed, politely wishing me much luck with the 
mule. He had hardly got out of sight, before another som- 
brero-covered wretch hastily approached my tent, and with 
well-feigned excitement, claimed the animal, averring, as 
usual, that the other Mexican had stolen it from him. Un- 
derstanding the game, I declined to give up the mule until 
the thief (Jadron^ as he kindly termed his countryman and 
5* 



102 PURCHASE OF A MULE. 

colleague in guilt,) was brought back to the camp for punish- 
ment. Upon his expressing an unwillingness to aid in the 
arrest, I bade him adios^ upon which hint he vanished. I re- 
tained possession of the mule until the army reached Cerralvo, 
at which place I received an order from head-quarters, through 
a Colonel K., of Texas, who had charge of the mule train, to 
transfer the beast to him, for the use of the quarter-master's de- 
partment, to which, it was alleged, the mule had been hired by 
some Mexican, who claimed to be its owner. As I sought no 
explanation of the trifling, though not unprovoking affair, I have 
never learned by what evidence the gentlemen at head-quar- 
ters satisfied themselves that the right of property was vested 
in Mr. Insolent Ranchero ; and I have mentioned the inci- 
dent simply to illustrate the character of the border Mexi- 
cans, to show how groundless were their many complaints 
of ill-treatment, and how over careful General Taylor was of 
their rights, real or pretended. The writer is clearly of 
opinion that his government is still indebted to him for the 
value of the mule aforesaid ; and, (between ns, good reader,) 
if the practice of allowing compound interest upon musty 
old claims, comes to be generally recognized by the Treasury 
Department, our investment may not prove to be such a bad 
one, after all ; especially if we keep our mule out of Con- 
gress for a half century or more. My companions were of 
course much diverted at the result of the matter, and really 
I could not but admire the shrewdness displayed by the Mexi- 
can jockeys, in hiring the animal to our government, since 
they well knew that its claim would at once outweigh that 
of any individual officer or soldier. General Ampudia's 



A HOKSE AUCTION. 103 

proclamation * of August 31st, threatening death to all the 
natives who continued to traffic with the Americans, did not 
distress us very much, after our dealings with the Camargo 
people. Before leaving Camargo, the business of these 
horse-traders was broken up, in our quarter of the camp at 
least, in an amusing manner. A party of them having 
entered our lines one afternoon, were for some time quietly 
permitted to exhibit their horses and horsemanship, in which 
last they possessed considerable skill. Their greatest feat, 
and one which they practiced most, was that of bringing 
their animals from the most rapid stride to a sudden halt. 
This, which was properly esteemed as a great accomplish - 

*The following is a copy of Ampudia's bulletin, which, (as Gen. Worth re- 
marked in his letter from Cerralvo, transmitting it to Taylor,) " is ingenious, and 
well calculated through the clergy, to operate upon the fears of the ignorant Mexi- 
cans:" 

"Considering that the hour has come for taking energetic and timely measures 
to free the department of the East from Anglo-American rapacity, and that by the 
laws of nations and of war, every traitor to his country, or spy of tlie enemy, 
should suffer the penalty of death ; and, finally, considering that it is my indispen- 
sable duty to oppose a barrier to the torrent of evils caused by the contraband trafiic 
which has been carried on in the most barefaced manner with the usurpers of our 
sacred territory, in virtue of the powers confided upon me by existing laws, 1 have 
determined to decree : 

"1st. Every native or foreigner, who of his own accord, shall give aid direct- 
ly or indirectly to the enemy, shall be shot. 

"2d. Those who, after the publication of this decree, shall continue to traffic 
with the enemy shall sufier the penalty stated in the preceding article. 

"3d. The authorities of every branch of the public administration will take 
care, strictly, and under the most rigid responsibility, that these provisions be punc- 
tually fulfilled. 

"4th. This decree is intended to produce action among the people, since all citi- 
zens have the right, and are under obligation to denounce any infraction of it, and 
to apprehend the criminals in order to deliver them up to the judicial authority ; 
and, that it may reach the notice of all, and that none may allege ignorance, 1 
order it to be published and circulated among all to whom it belongs, to see that 
it be faithfully executed. 

"Given at Head-Quarters, Monterey, August 31, 1846. 

FlDKO DE AmPUDIA." 



104 A HOKSE AUCTION. 

ment, by a people much addicted to halting and dodging^ 
they were enabled to do by means of a ring-curb that is nni- 
versally used. After the usual preliminary display had taken 
place, the natives, by preconcerted arrangement, were gradu- 
ally surrounded by all the soldiers of the regiment not on 
duty. One of the volunteers — a famous wag — then mounted 
a barrel, and announced to the crowd that he proposed to sell 
at auction, "for the benefit of whom it might concern," the 
collection of live-stock before them. He invited particular 
attention to it as the most miserable assortment of spavined^ 
sore-hacked and sltoulder-shoUen mustangs, mules and Mexi- 
cans, ever seen in any market ; and humorously added, that 
possession would not be guaranteed unless strong halters 
were used upon either the animals or their thievish riders, 
especially the latter. During the delivery of these and other 
preparatory remarks, the Mexicans — profoundly ignorant of 
their meaning, and wondering much at the position and mer- 
riment of the Americans — were either watching the speaker, 
with looks of astonishment and alarm, or peering anxiously 
around for some avenue of escape through the crowd. 

The volunteer auctioneer, familiar w^ith all the cant phrases 
of the horse-market, then proceeded with admirable spirit 
and wit to sell the animals, some by measurement and others 
even by the pound, "Commissary weight." This innocent 
fling at the Commissariat was received with great applause. 
lie pleasantly commented the while upon the various quali- 
ties of the stock ; now insisting that the ponderous ears of a 
certain ugly, brown mule, indubitably proved his " Andrewhi- 
sian blood;" and again, swearing that a shabby, little gray 



A HOKSE AUCTION. 105 

pony was a noble steed, indeed, a perfect Tartar, and would 
carry any ambitious gentlemen as far as Montezuma's Halls, 
to the tune of 

" Yankee Doodle came to town, 
Upon a little pony," etc., etc. 

At this scene in the farce, some of the grave-looking Mexi- 
cans could not refrain from joining in the general laughter 
caused by the song and comic action of the auctioneer, who, 
while he sang, continued to saw with his right hand upon an 
imaginary fiddle in his left. Thus the sale progressed amid 
much lively and good-natured competition in the crowd sur- 
rounding the kicking mustangs and braying mules. Not the 
least diverting part of the aflair, was the dialogue that fol- 
lowed the sale of each animal, between the auctioneer and 
purchaser, concerning the terms of payment, and which gen- 
erally resulted in the granting of credit for some indefinite 
period, or the acceptance of a draft on the Mexican Treasury. 
At the conclusion of the sale, the auctioneer remarked, 
that, — •" flattered by the unexampled patronage he had re- 
ceived, and encouraged by the animated condition of the 
market, he would shortly invite the attention of the public 
to a small invoice of excellent donheys or rather to some 
small donkeys in excellent voice, soon expected to arrive 
from the chaparral." With these words the wag descended 
from his stand; the crowd dispersed, leading away their 
purchases to their quarters, and followed by the excited Mexi- 
can owners, who now began to comprehend, though they 
did not seem to relish the joke. After playing for some time 
upon the fears of the avaricious jockeys, their animals wore 



106 HAMER CROSSES THE SAN JDAN. — A SHOWER. 

restored to them, and they left the camp under whip and spur. 
Nor did they again venture to traffic within our lines. As 
to the promised invoice of asses, it may be added that the 
sale was not allowed to take place upon their arrival, inas- 
much as those musical little beasts were daily employed in 
transporting needful supplies to the camp. 

On the 4th of September, General Earner's brigade crossed 
the San Juan, preparatory to marching on the 6th. The 
weather was intensely hot, and we anticipated a thirsty, 
dusty, and fatiguing journey. We had, I think, but one rain 
during our stay at Camargo, but that was a memorable one. 
Though it "overcame us like a summer's cloud," it neverthe- 
less excited our special wonder. It occurred one sultry after- 
noon in the latter part of August, when the sun was low in 
the west. Sitting in the shade of our tents, and looking 
toward the east, our attention was suddenly arrested by a 
dark cloud that was unrolled from the heavens, like the 
drop-curtain of a theater, and which completely shut out the 
distant landscape. It advanced rapidly, and we soon per- 
ceived that it was one of those showers, peculiar to the tiem^a 
calienti^ which are concentrated in a single drop, — a mass of 
water from earth to sky. Their force is soon spent, but most 
unlucky is the traveler on whom they chance to fall. This 
cloud began to discharge itself not far from us, and swept 
directly toward the camp. Rainbows were playing upon its 
broad surface, giving it the appearance of a vast and beauti- 
ful curtain of variegated silk, shaken by the winds ; while 
the sound of the falling water as it broke upon the earth was 
really terrific. It steadily approached, every moment becom- 



A SHOWER. 107 

ing more fearful and audible, until, like a thousand horse 
" thickly thundering on," it swept over our camp with a 
force that almost crushed the awe-struck sentinels to the 
ground. In a few moments the storm was o'er, the cloud 
had sunk into the bosom of the earth, and the last glancing 
rays of the sun shone upon a scene of bright tranquility, as 
well as upon (to quote the immortal Mantalini) some "demd, 
damp, moist, uncomfortable bodies." 



CHAPTER V. 

Arrieros. — Packing the mules — The march commenced. — Trials of the first 
day. — Cerralvo.— A storm. — Mustard per se.— Orders for continuing the march. — 
Description of the country. — Marin. — The enemy seen and heard from. — A 
stampede. — Crossing a stream. — A donkey going down stern foremost. — San 
Francisco. — The army arrives before Monterey. — Encamps at Santo Domingo. 

There are two very good roads from Camargo to Monterey, 
on both of which it was supposed that a sufficiency of water, 
beef, and corn, could be obtained for the marching force. 
To avoid any inconvenience, however, and doubtless, for 
other good reasons, General Taylor decided to advance 
columns on both routes. The mounted troops were sent up 
the valley of San Juan via China to Marin ; while the in- 
fantry pursued the more westerly route, by way of Mier and 
Cerralvo. From Camargo to Cerralvo the army marched by 
brigades ; thence to Marin by divisions. At the last named 
place the entire force — horse and foot — united, and moved 
in one column upon Monterey. 

On Sunday, September Gth, the 1st brigade (Hamer's) of 
General Butler's division commenced its march and arrived 
at Cerralvo, a distance of twenty-five leagues, on the follow- 
ing Thursday. The first day's march was the most weary 
and painful of the campaign. No soldier of our regiment 
will ever forget his sufierings on that unhappy day. Hoping 
to reach the first camping ground before noon, the tents had 
been struck, baggage packed, and every thing got in readi- 



MEXICAN MULETEERS, ■ 109 

ness at dawn. But it was not until tlio sun had been up 
several hours, that the muleteers made their appearance with 
the animals assigned to our brigade. 

The mules of Mexico have always been usefully employed 
in its domestic commerce, and, indeed, a[)pear to be all-suf- 
iicient carriers. Like the camels of Arabia, they are pecu- 
liarly adapted to the country and primitive condition of their 
masters. But to persons, fresh from a land in which all the 
many wonderful inventions in art and science are made sub- 
servient to the wants of man, a pack-mule is almost as great 
a curiosity as a battering-ram, or any other relic of a barbar- 
ous age ; and accordingly we contemplated with some interest, 
the little animals, as nnbridled and with most provoking and 
mulish nonGlialance^ they strayed slowly toward us from 
their pasture in the chaparral. Each of them was covered 
from neck to tail with a huge, arching, saddle, of itself no 
light burden, upon which was to be packed a load of from 
three to four hundred pounds. One of the mules was laded 
with ropes of hide, to be used in fastening the packs. To 
another, the most staid and venerable member of the drove, 
was attached a bell. He enjoyed the honor of leading the 
train, and of carrying the large, smooth stone, upon which the 
drivers crush corn for their frugal meals <di jpan-de-maize. 

The muleteers were stout, athletic fellows, and tlie most 
uncouth, as well, perhaps, as the hardiest class in Mexico ; 
where the mixture of various races has resulted in the pro- 
duction of some strange looking species of the genus homo. 
Their features and those of the rancheros generally, are large, 
but less prominent than those of our Indians ; their lips, 



110 MEXICAN MULETEEKS. 

thick ; their faces, smooth ; and their coarse liair, like their 
eyes, black. Their frames are short and thick-set, and seem 
to be made of sinew and muscle. "With great ease they eu- 
Hure fatigues which we northraen, even when seasoned to 
the climate, scarcely equal. A few tortillas (cakes made of 
corn, coarsely braised by hand, with an infusion of chili and 
lime) and a gourd of water, will suffice the arriero for a day. 
If a little muscal or a few cigaritas be added to his allow- 
ance, he is perfectly contented. He seems to desire no other 
bed than the bare ground ; and if rains overtake him at 
night, he will shelter himself beneath one of his large semi- 
cylindrical pack-saddles, the thick wood and leather sides 
of which, being bullet proof, make an excellent barricade in 
the common event of an attack by banditti. His dress con- 
sists of a short, close-fitting leather jacket, ornamented often 
with rows of buttons ; and wide buckskin or dirty, white- 
linen trowsers, open and flaring from the ankle to the knee. 
The foot clothing consists of sandal-shoes, fastened with 
rough thongs — stockings being a luxury enjoyed only by 
some of the towns-people. The heavy, hand-made, party- 
colored blanket, peculiar to the country, is an indispensable 
article of apparel, and is at all times fastened about the 
shoulders. In bad weather it is unrolled, the head thrust 
through the opening in its center, and its ample folds allowed 
to fall gracefully around the body. This, with the wide- 
brimmed sombrero, enables the wearer to defy the storm. 

Our arrieros^ as if to make amends for their long delay, 
proceeded to pack with commendable celerity and skill. 
Walking rapidly through the camp, they first examined the 



LOADIKG THK MULES. Ill 

amount and character of the baggage. They then divided it 
into as many heaps as there were mules, each one being a 
cargo, or load', taking care at the same time to place such 
articles together as would balance well upon the saddle. 
This accomplished, the mules were brought up to receive 
their burdens ; which were put on by two men working on 
opposite sides of the animal. The largest articles, bundles 
of tents, barrels or boxes, were first lashed to the sides of 
the saddle ; then upon those the rest of the load was piled, 
forming a ridge high above the back, the bulk of the burden 
being often much greater than the animal beneath it. Each 
article was securely fastened by cords passing around it, and 
crossing under the body. The men on either side, bracing 
their feet against the thick, lower edge of the saddle, and 
with the rope in their hands, would throw themselves back 
horizontally, and jerk and pull until the poor mule fairly 
groaned with the pressure. A few young and restive animals 
were cnly made to receive their packs patientl}-, by the ap- 
plication of a bandage, which the drivers carried for the pur- 
pose, to their eyes. The business of packing completed, 
the sage and distinguished wearer of the bell, carrying a few 
measures of corn and the primitive mill-stone before men- 
tioned, was led ofi' upon the road. The train obediently fol- 
lowed the well-known sound ; while the muleteers walking 
on flank and rear, urged forward the slow and lazy with their 
peculiar " hist ! hiss! " 

Thus, after a vexatious detention of many hours, we com- 
menced in the noonday heat, our memorable march. Con- 
sidering the debility of our men, consequent upon recent 



112 SUFFERINGS ON THE MAECH. 

sickness, the inactivity of camp-life, or long confinement on 
transports, I was prepared to witness much suffering on the 
route ; hut owing to the late hour of starting and the scarcity 
of water, it was distressing and lamentable beyond all expec- 
tation. Our route lay through dense chaparral which, being 
a little higher than our heads, shut out every refreshing 
breeze ; and the dust, which was ankle deep, hung in sufib- 
cating clouds over the road. The vertical rays of the sun 
fell like fiery arrows upon the column, and so heated the 
burnished metal of our accoutrements, that it could not be 
held in the naked hand without pain. The heat was indeed 
almost intolerable, as the parched tongues of all momentarily 
united in asserting. Even the sable descendants of Ham — 
the servants of officers — drooped beneath it like blasted 
blades of corn. Before one third of the day's march was ac- ' 
complishcd, our then inexperienced soldiers had consumegl all 
the water in their canteens ; '.he contents of which, at later 
periods, they learned to make suffice for an entire day. Un- 
fortunately no supply of water had been, placed in the wagons, 
set apart by General Taylor's order, for its transportation, 
it having been supposed that the canteens would hold enough 
for the first short march ; and had we been able to start in ' 
the early morning, we sliould perhaps have escaped that 
arid thirst. Many brief halts were made, and parties sent 
out on the flanks to seek for water. These were all unsuc- 
cessful, and the search but added to the fatigue of the ex- 
plorers. After the first disappointments, the men marched 
silently forward, determined to brave the trials of the day 
with becoming fortitude. For some time, their great and in- 



SLFFEKIJSGS ON THE MARCH. 113 

creasing agony was endured with calm resignation. Many, 
whose scorclied throats scarcely granted utterance, endeav- 
ored to cheer the weak with hopes of speedy relief, which 
they, themselves, hardly entertained. Our skillful, sympa- 
thizing, and attentive surgeon (Dr. Chamberlyn,) passed to 
and fro among the ranks, distributing pills, cordials, and 
other needful tonics, witli which a mule, led by the hospital 
steward, was laded. Thus onward, still onward, with feeble 
steps, staggered our poor, uncomplaining fellows ; all hoping 
to reach water at every turn or descent of the road, if only 
in some foul mud-hole. 

At length, when about two-thirds of the march had been 
efiected, with much pain and suffering, yet in tolerable 
order, a solitary rancho was descried a short distance in ad- 
vance. The foremost troops hastened toward it with excla- 
mations of gladness, for there, indeed, we might hope to find 
the much desired beverage ; to us, truly, the precious aqua 
I'itcG. Ah ! deceitful hope ! transient pleasure ! The house 
was deserted, and the well contained not "a drop, to moisten 
life's all gasping springs." Each man as he arrived, has- 
tened to gaze into its hateful depth, as if unwilling to believe 
the sad report of the first comers : " the well is dry ! " What 
heart-sickening intelligence to those, whose veins seemed 
swollen with liquid fire ; whose dusky skins and mouths 
were dry and crisp as ashes ! Even at this distant period, 
the recollection of my own sensations causes some slight 
aridity in the region of the jugular. The acclimatizing fe- 
ver — as the surgeon termed the fever with which I had long 
been daily harrassed — had seized me with renewed violence 



114 SUFFEKINGS ON THE MARCH. 

early in the marcli ; and when we halted at the well, the 
blood was "boiling like lava within the glowing caverns of 
the heart." A hundred strange visions floated through the 
heated brain. Vivid and tantalizing pictures of bubbling 
springs and limpid streams well known in years long gone 
by, were again present to the mind. Then the wandering 
thoughts successively recalled all the horrible scenes of dis- 
tress arising from thirst, which they had ever contemplated ; 
from the notable case of that certain rich man who, " in hell 
lifted up his eyes, being in torments," to the latest narrative 
of shipwrecked mariners casting lots for each other's blood. 
And when from the crowd around the rancho, there broke 
forth some expressions of pain and disappointment that 
could no longer be subdued, the mind reverted to the wan- 
derings of the Israelites, tlieir thirst, and their murmurings 
against Moses in Kephidim, and to the rock in Horeb 
smitten by the rod. But the age of miracles was past ! 
'Twere vain to sigh for that rock and rod, or to expect relief, 
save by additional exertion. All complaints were soon 
hushed, and the column again put in motion. For another 
half hour it continued to drag its slow length along amid a 
silence that was broken only by the melancholy rattle of 
empty canteens. Then, when we were not more than a mile 
or two from water, occurred some touching scenes of human 
misery. Here and there, the weakest men began to reel 
from the ranks. Sinking upon the road-side, they declared 
that their strength was spent, and that they could go no fur- 
ther. Some were still helped forward by tlieir stronger com- 
rades, while others, whom no words of hope or fear could 



SUFFERINGS OM THE MAKOII. 115 

move, begged to be left to their late. With these, threats 
and persuasions were alike inefiectual, such was their indif- 
ference to danger under the pressure of present pain. Soon 
all order was lost. The two regiments composing the bri- 
gade were mobbed, and the stragglers from both increased at 
every step. Had we been attacked at the time by a resolute 
enemy our troops would inevitably have been cut to pieces. 
This distressing and discouraging march was lengthened 
about two miles, for the want of competent guides to direct 
us to the usual camping-ground, which was near a large 
poj^d, and some distance from the main road. In our igno- 
rance of the locality, the leading companies passed it and 
were compelled to retrace their steps. Upon reaching the 
water, many noble fellows, after satisfying the cravings of 
their own thirst, filled their canteens, and hastened back to 
administer to the wants of their weary and straggling com- 
rades. Not more than half of the column reached the camp 
before dusk. The remainder came in singly, or in small 
parties, at various hours of the night, and but two of our 
regiment were reported "absent, and unaccounted for," at 
roll-call on the following morning. Those two unfortunate 
absentees never afterward responded to their names, and 
their fate has often been to me a matter of anxious interest. 
It appeared that they had left their company by permission, 
during a short halt early in the journey, to look for water. 
Failing to return as soon as expected, their captain supposed 
that they had wandered back toward Camargo ; but they 
never reported themselves at that post, or elsewhere, so far as 
we could ascertain. 



110 IN SIGHT OF MIKU. 

Such was our Urst day's march, upon the many painful in- 
cidents of which I have forborne to dwell. Much censure 
was lodged at the time against those who conducted it, but 
as I think, rather unjustly.- Prudence should perhaps have 
suggested the employment of the wagons allowed for the con- 
veyance of w^ater ; but I presume it was supposed that the 
length of the march (about five leagues) scarcely rendered it 
necessary. The late hour of starting, the unusual (even for 
that climate) heat of the day, and the physical debility of 
many of the soldiers, no human sagacity could have prevented. 
Under ordinary circumstances, the same men could, and fre- 
quently did march with ease, twice the distance in less time. 

The second day we suflered less from thirst, and having 
started early, reached our camp belbre noon, without much 
fatigue. The country passed over was level and dry, but, in 
many parts, well supplied with mesqueet wood, and grass. 
Near our encampment, which was upon the banks of a deep 
and rocky ravine, one of our soldiers discovered a mineral 
spring, the water of which nearly resembled that of the Blue 
Lick, in Iventucky, On the morning of the third day, the 
men, though still quite foot-sore, took the route with all the 
cheerfulness of gay and thoughtless youth, and made a good 
march — more than six leagues — before 11 o'clock. A, M. 
AVe ascended the brow of a hill, overlooking JMier, just as 
the sun pushed his broad disk above the horizon, and poured 
a flood of rosy light upon the white walls of that pretty and 
interesting village. "\Ve did not enter the place, for our road, 
the general direction of which had thus far been parallel 
with the Eio Grande, after bringing us within sight of it. 



CliKKALVU. IIT 

inclined to the south, and led us into a more hilly and broken 
region. There, too, the mountains of Oerralvo were lirst 
discerned in the misty distance, their airy tops so softly 
blending- Avith the clouds, 

" That the cheated eye 
Forgets or whica is earth, or which is heaven.'' 

On the fourth day, we encamped by a clear and rapid 
stream., near Pontaguada, (in which village, en jpassant^ we 
obtained some delicious dried figs ;) and on the fifth we en- 
tered Cerralvo, thus making as good time as the Regulars 
who preceded us. It was gratifying to witness the improve- 
ment in the health and spirits of the troops as we approached 
the mountains. The tender feet of many unaccustemed to 
such laborious exercise, hardened as they progressed, and 
each day added to their knowledge in the business of cam- 
paigning. In tlie ])ure streams of the upper country, they 
washed away their wasting fevers, and before reaching Mon- 
terey, were generally in excellent condition for service. 
Amid subsequent toils and trials, the hardships of the first 
day's march were sometimes blithely recalled, and often 
served to assuage the severity of present privations. 

Cerralvo is a smiling little town, of about twelve hundred 
inhabitants, and is built chiefiy of white limestone, which is 
quite abundant in the neighborhood. The houses, as in all 
the Mexican towns we saw, were of the old Spanish style; 
with massive walls, flat cement roofs, and a few narrow, 
barred, and unglazed windows. The thick inside shutters, 
substituted for sash, exclude both air and light. Though de- 
void of all architectural' beauty, they are not without their 



118 CERKALYO — A STOKM. 

advantages in a warm climate, and are qnite comfortable 
enough for such a people. A sparkling rivulet, fresh from 
the cool recesses of the mountains, waters the town, and 
forms, in its passage through some of the gardens, deep, 
clear, and refreshing baths. One enchanting little spot I fre- 
quently visited, where the brook danced and sang through 
banks of flowers, shaded by luxuriant lemon and lig trees, 
the interlacing branches of which ofl'ered a welcome shade 
and screen to the bather. 

The country around Cerralvo, except on the margins of the 
streams, appears to be very poor and stony. The stratified 
limestone lay so near the surface of the hill upon which we 
encamped, that it was no easy matter to pitch the tents, the 
pins being broken or blunted in many attempts to drive them. 
In consequence of this unfortunate geological formation, our 
canvas was carried away by the first breath of a storm which 
broke upon us one night during our brief sojourn there. Of 
all confusions confounded or confounded confusions, but few 
can exceed that caused in a large camp by high and sudden 
winds, especially when attended by rain. A squall in the 
day-time is often sufiicicntly annoying, but when it occurs 
at night, when the frail tents are capsized in a twinkling, and 
the tightened ropes, and flying-pins are made to lash and 
bruise the prostrate bodies of thousands of sleepers ; when, 
in an instant aroused from profound slumber, loose horses, 
kicking mules and swearing soldiers, are sent stumbling 
about among each other, tripping and falling over knapsacks, 
cooking utensils, and the many articles which the wind has 
also set in motion; what pen can describe the scene ! "The 



ORDERS FOR THE MARCH. 119 

storm fieuds," as the poets aptly term certain imaginary 
gentlemen in the clouds, must enjoy the fun vastly as they 
ride by upon the blast. It would go hard with pussy and 
puffy old yEolus, should he venture to make himself visible 
within musket range of these ludicrous and vexatious scenes. 
What new dispositions w^ere made at Cerralvo in our little 
army, will be known by a perusal of the annexed order : 

Orders ) Head- Quarters^ Army of Occxqxdion^ 

No. 115. i Cerralvo^ September 11, 1S16. 

1. As the army may expect to meet resistance in its further 
advance toward Monterey, it is necessary that the march 
should be conducted with all proper precautions to meet at- 
tack, and to secure the baggage and supplies. From this 
point, the following will be the order of march until other- 
wise directed : 

2. All the pioneers of the army, consolidated into one 
party, will march early to-morrow, on the route to Marin, 
for the purpose of repairing the road, and rendering it prac- 
ticable for artillery and wagons. The pioneers of each divi- 
sion will be under a subaltern to be specially detailed for the 
duty, and the whole will be under the command of Captain 
Craig, 3d infantry, who will report at head-quarters for in- 
structions. This pioneer party will be covered by a squad- 
ron of dragoons, and Captain McCulloch's company of ran- 
gers. Two officers of topographical engineers, to be detailed 
by Captain Williams, will accompany the party for the pur- 
pose of examining the route. Two wagons will be provided 
by the quarter-master's department for the transportation of 
the tools, provisions, and knapsacks of the pioneers. 



120 OKDEKS FOK THE MAKCH. 

3. The 1st division will march on the 13th, to be followed 
on successive days, by the 2d division, and field division of 
volunteers. The head-quarters will march with the 1st divi- 
sion. Captain Gillespie, with half of his company, will 
report to Major General Butler; the other half, under the 
1st Lieutenant, to Brigadier General Worth. These detach- 
ments will be employed for out-posts and videttes, and as 
expresses between the columns and head-quarters. 

4. The subsistence supplies will be divided between the 
three columns, the senior commissary of each division re- 
ceipting for the stores, and being charged with their care and 
management. The senior commissaries of each division will 
report to Captain Waggaman for this duty. 

5. Each division will be followed immediately^ by its bag- 
gage train and supply train, with a strong rear-guard. The 
ordnance train under Captain Ramsey, will march with the 
2d division, between its baggage and supply trains, and will 
come under the protection of the guards of that division. 
The medical supplies will, in like manner, march with the 
1st division. 

6. The roops will take eight days' rations, and forty 
rounds of ammunition. All surplus arms and accouterments, 
resulting from casualties on the road, will be deposited with 
Lieutenant Stewart, left in charge of the depot at this place, 
who will give certificates* of deposit to the company com^ 
manders. 

7. The wagons appropriated for the transportation of wa- 
ter, will not be required, and will be turned over to the quar- 
ter-master's department, for general pur])Oses. 



BUTLER S DIVISION LEAVES CERRALVO. 121 

8. Two companies of the Mississippi regiment will be 
designated for the garrison of this depot.. All sick and disa- 
bled men, unfit for the march, will be left behind, under 
charge of a medical officer, to be selected for this duty by the 
medical director. 

By order of Major General Taylor, 

W. W. S. Bliss, 
Assistant Adjutant General. 

The small garrison mentioned, in the last section of the 
foresoine: orders, was the onlv one left on the route. Among 
the sick and disabled, about one hundred and fifty in num- 
ber, who remained at this depot, was the captain of one of 
our German companies. "We had one L'ish and two German 
companies in the 1st Ohio regiment. According to Surg'eon 
Chamberlyn's account, the captain, being sick with pleurisy, 
had swallowed in rather hot haste a quantity of mustard, 
which had been prescribed as a plaster. Though the condi- 
ment thus taken, internally and jper se, proved as unwhole- 
some as unpalatable, yet it served to season a good joke ; 
and it was even contended by some that it had saved the 
captain's life, inasmuch as his unlucky mistake prevented 
him from participating in the battle of Monterey, where his 
gallant 1st Lieutenant was slain at the head of his company. 

On the loth of September, the field division of volun- 
teers — General Butler's — marched from Cerralvo, and on the 
17th reached Marin, where the Kegulars awaited our arrival. 
Nothing of unusual interest occurred between those places. 
General Torrejou, with about a thousand horse, was con- 
stantly in front of our army, but distrusting his own strength. 



122 ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 

or intimidated by our steady advance, he made no effort to 
arrest onr progress, and contented himself with destroying 
property likely to fall into our hands. The road led us over 
a succession of rough and bare hills, which, w'ith the dis- 
tressingly hot weather, and the length of our column, in- 
creased at Cerralvo by the addition of Quitman's brigade, 
Webster's battery, and the supply train, rendered our prog- 
ress tediously slow. The country, as far as Marin, presented 
a more barren and desolate aspect, though better watered 
than that previously passed. From the summits of the 
thorn and cactus- covered ridges over which we marched, the 
coii^ d^ceil was dreary and forbidding in the extreme. Far 
and near, whichever way we looked, the mountains, hills, 
and plains were glowing with the scorching heat of summer, 
a few narrow belts of green foliage showing where the streams 
yet generously moistened the thirsty earth. The rancheros 
were mean and scattered, and sometimes we did not see a 
Mexican during the day's march. On the borders of the 
stream, we alone found their wretched habitations. The 
intervening wastes appeared to belong to the banditti, judg- 
ing from the many crosses erected on the wayside ; evidences 
that the land was guilty of many "an arch deed of piteous 
massacre." The country is, for the most part, bare of trees. 
This is its great and ever-prominent characteristic. The fig, 
olive, orange, and lemon, flourish in some locations, but there 
are no forests, and a few scattered palmettos alone show 
their tufted heads above the surrounding masses of chaparral. 
The traveler from the United States finds himself continually 
looking around, but in vain, for the magnificent groves which 



MARTN. 123 

diversify and adorn the scenery of his native land, ^n the 
vicinity of the water-courses, the student of zoology, orni- 
thology, or botany, may perchance find something to interest 
liim ; but among the cheerless hills and plains that lie be- 
tween the streams, there appears neither life nor beauty. 
The presence of an army, hastening to the conflict, did not 
materially enliven the dismal landscape. And yet, without 
pausing to seek its rationale, the idea most frequently pre- 
sent to my mind, when contemplating the country, was its 
Temarkcible suitableness as a tJieater for war. That deso- 
late district, overhung by unclouded skies and burning suns, 
seemed to invite belligerent men to strife and carnage, as 
naturally as does the well-rolled turf, the horse-race, or the 
ring, the wrestling and boxing match. Bella., Jwrrida lella ! 
might rage with all her rampant furies there, undisturbed by 
a single tender appeal from the genius of civilization. There 
was the stage and all the scenery for war's bloody drama. 
Enter armies, and the martial spectacle is complete. 

The village of Marin, said to contain a population of one 
thousand, is picturesquely situated on the edge of an exten- 
sive and elevated plateau. It commands a vast prospect in 
the direction of Monterey, and a charming little valley 
blooms at its feet. Into this we descended, after marching 
through the village, and directed our steps toward a silvery 
stream whose murmuring waters, as we approached it, filled 
our hearts with delight. With what "luxuriant joy and 
pleasure unrestrained," did the weary men stack arms upon 
its grassy banks. For an hour or more after halting, none 
of the usual camp labors were performed, and all resigned 



124 REST BY THE WATERS — THE CAMP, 

themselves to the bliss of rest in such a spot after a toilsome 
march. Officers enjoyed their cigars in olio cum d'lgnitate^ 
Avhile the men, reclining in groups, chatted merrily with each 
other, or were quietly engaged in bathing their swollen and 
heated feet in the cool ripples of the brook. In good time, 
however, tents were pitched, fires kindled, and guards posted, 
the rustic deities flying the spot as Mars asserted his sway. 

Those who have seen large bodies of troops in the field, 
can not have failed to observe how rapidly and strangely 
rural scenes are transformed by encampment. There is, 
perhaps, some favorite landscape which you may have 
known from childhood. Let yonder army, whose banners 
and bayonets you descry in the distance, approach and halt 
upon the familiar spot, the artillery on that broad hill-side, 
the cavalry in the plain, and the infantry down by the stream, 
and along the skirts of the silent and shadowy woods. In a 
brief half-hour an extensive camp is established wdtli a celer- 
ity, quietness, and precision, that recall the .story of Alad- 
din's lamp. Rows of tents arise as if by enchantment ; these, 
with batteries, w'agons, horses, fires, arms, and men, so meta- 
morphose the scene, that your eyes wander over it almost in 
vain for a single familiar object. 

Soon after encamping at Marin, we learned that the ene- 
my's corps of observation had been seen leaving the town as 
our pioneers approached it. The absence of any hostile de- 
monstration durino; so long a march, had induced manv of 
our impatient young soldiers to discredit the report that there 
was a Mexican force in our front. A lance-head, found in 
the road, was the only "sign" which our Texan scouts had 



THE ENEMY SEEN AND HEAKD FKOM. 125 

discovered until reaching the vicinity of Marin. Tlie intelli- 
gence, therefore, tliat a considerable body of the enemy liad 
actually been seen, and had even halted on one or two occa- 
sions to exchange shots with our van-guard, satistied the most 
incredulous. When, moreover, they were Mndly informed 
by copies of a Proclamation, * which the enemy, before 
evacuating Marin, had industriously scattered about the vil- 
lage, that one Pedro de A^mpudia, and certain battalions 
with long and formidable -looking names at least, might be 
found at Monterey ; all were happily agreed that a fight 
would be the sequel of tlie march ; and, full of coniidence in 
their brave old General and in themselves, regarded the cap- 
ture of the city as unfait accom^le. 

While our army lay at Cerralvo, I had heard it stated that 
the Mexicans intended to fight us at some favorable point on 
the route ; no one seemed to know exactly where. But as 
we afterward marched to Monterey without opposition, I 

*"ARMY OF THE NORTH. 

" General-in-Chief, Head-Quarters, 

" Monterey, September 15, 1846. 

'' It is well known that the war carried on against the republic of Mexico, by 
the United States of America is injust, illegal, and anti-Christian, for which rea- 
son no one ought to contribute to it. 

" The federal government having been happily re-established, a large number ol 
battalions of the national guard in the States of Coahuila, San Luis Potosi, (luana- 
juata, Tacatecas, Queretaro, and others, are ready to be on the field and fight for 
our independence. 

" Acting according to the dictates ot honor, and in compliance with what my 
country expects of me, in the name of my government, I offer to all individuals 
that will lay down their arms and separate themselves from the American army, 
seeking protection, that they will be well received and treated in all the plantations, 
farms or towns where they will first arrive, and assisted for their march to the inte- 
rior of the republic by all the authorities on the road, as has been done with all 
those that have passed over to us. 

"To all those that wish to serve in the Mexican army, their offices will be con- 
served and guaranteed. Pedro de Ampudia." 

6* 



126 AMPUDIA INTENDED TO ATTACK US AT MAKIN. 

continued to regard the statement as one of the many ground- 
less rumors of the camp, until recently informed by the Mexi- 
can history of the war, that General Ampudia at one time 
Iiad decided to leave his intrenchments.* My surviving 
companions in arms will unite in regretting the counsels by 
which he was induced to change his plans ; for, if on the 
beautiful plains around ]\Iarin, he could have advantageous- 
ly employed " his well-appointed and numerous cavalry," he 
would there also have enjoyed the pleasure of witnessing 
some judicious combinations on our part ; and have received 
gratis, a few West Point lessons, which he might have turned 
to good account in his subsequent professional career. But 
the Mexican General, it seems, was overruled by Ins 2:)rudent 
chiefs of brigade, who doubtless entertained a lively recollec- 
tion of the manner in which our light artillery was handled 
at Palo Alto, and so— knowing that we brought no siege 
train — determined to await the issue behind his walls. A 
wise conclusion certainly, since from the advantageous posi- 

**'He (Ampudia) decided to receive the in/aders at Marin, by availing himself 
in the movement of his well-appointed and numerous cavalry. In the event of a 
reverse he still had a point of defense in Monterey. The advantages which the 
country from Papagallos to Marin aflbrded, and other circumstances, confirmed his 
hopes. With the object of adopting this plan he called ajimta, composed of the 
chiefs of brigade. In it ho espoused the project, and it was perceived that in 
Monterey could be counted, beyond the corps already mentioned, the 3d and 4th Light, 
3d of the Line, the active battalions of Agua Calientes, Queretaro, and San Luis 
Potosi, of infantry ; and the regiments of Guanajuato, San Luis and Jalico, of 
cavalry. 

"General Mejia answered to the project of Ampudia, that he was ready to exe- 
cute it, but the answers of the chiefs of brigade not being equally satisfactory, frus- 
trated the plan. It was then agreed to prosecute the fortifications of the first line, 
and to undertake the second or interior intrenchments, and to so distribute the 
work that a!l could labor with indefatigable strength. The enemy, with their 
characteristic energy threatened us with a strong indication of a quick advance." — 
Mexican " Notes of the TFar." 



OKDKK OF MARCH FKOM MARIN. 127 

tion of the enemy, do the scenes at Monterey, which I 
shall presently attempt to describe, derive their sanguinary 
coloring. The same numbers, in a fair, open field, could 
scarcely have withstood the first charge of our impetuous and 
enthusiastic battalions. 

At Retreat^ at sunset, on the evening of our arrival at 
Marin, the following orders were read to the troops, from 
which it will be perceived that the order of march was 
prudently changed as we approached the point of resistance : 

Orders, ) Head- Quarters^ Army of Occupation^ 

No. 119) Camp near Marin^ Septemher 17, 1846. 

1. The corps of the army will march to-morrow in the 
direction of Monterey, The following will be the order of 
march : 

The advance, consisting of McCulloch's and Gillespie's 
companies of rangers, and a squadron of dragoons, wall 
march at 6^ o'clock. The pioneer party will be broken up, 
and the pioneers will return to their regiments. 

The 1st division will march at 6 o'clock, followed imme- 
diately by its baggage and one half of the ordnance train. 
The head-quarters will march with the 1st division. 

The 2d division will march one hour after the 1st, followed 
in like manner by its baggage, and the remainder of the 
ordnance train. 

The 3d division will march one hour after the 2d, followed 
by its baggage and the general supply train. The rear 
guard to be composed of two companies of regulars, one 
from each division, will follow the supply train, and close 
the march. 



1^8 ON TO MONTEKEV. 

2. In case the Texan volunteers, under Major General 
Henderson, should arrive in time, they will be thrown in 
advance, except four companies, which will form the rear- 
guard instead of the infantry above indicated. The dragoons 
in that case will march M'ith the first division. Four men 
from Captain Gillespie's company will be attached to each 
of the rear divisions — 2d and volunteers — to be employed as 
expresses, etc. 

3. The habitual order of battle will be as follows: The 1st 
division on the right, the 2d division on the left, and the 
volunteer division in the center. The chiefs of divisions will 
organize such reserves as they may deem necessary. The 
above order is not invariable, but may be controlled by the 
nature of the ground. 

By order of Major General Taylor, 

W. W. S. Bliss, 
Assistant Adjutant General. 

At dawn on the ISth of September, the slumbering camp 
was aroused by the gay notes of the reveille from drum and 
bugle. In a few minutes, the thousand tents which had 
checkered the verdant little valley disappeared, the morning 
meal was eaten, and the foremost troops began to cross the 
stream and march toward Monterey, still eight leagues dis- 
tant. It was an animating spectacle, that gallant little army 
of ours, pressing boldly forward to the mountain peaks that 
had long guided our steps, and which stood like giant senti- 
nels around the city that was soon to rock and ring with the 
shock of contending arms. But doubtless there were some 



CAN ALES ! CANALEs! 129 

sad countenances and heavy hearts among the villagers, who, 
from their lofty situation, watched the column as it uncoiled 
from the valley, and stretched, like a huge serpent over the 
hills. Far away to the south-west, a moving cloud of dust 
told the position and progress of the advance corps. For a 
long distance, the road could be traced by the l)right bayo- 
nets that heaved and Hashed like breaking waves, over the 
dark, green thickets, while near at hand, battalions and bat- 
teries were wheeling successively into column, as prompt to 
execute, as to hear the loud, quick words of command. 

Ilamer's brigade being the last to march that day — the 
brigades of the volunteer division led by turns — we did not 
get in motion till 9 o'clock. Just before that hour, and 
while the companies were standing at ease, awaiting further 
orders, a fat, greasy-looking Mexican, mounted upon a little 
sway-backed mule, came galloping up the valley toward us. 
Though the animal was goaded to the top of its speed with 
whip and spurs, the rider yet continued to use his arms and 
legs so industriously, that it was evident that his progress 
was not satisfactory, or at all equal to his notion ot the 
importance of his errand. As he drew near, it was per- 
ceived that the man was badly frightened. The mule, too, 
seemed to participate in his master's fears, and was hon- 
estly doing his petite ])ossible in the race. To the many 
questions, in mingled English and Spanish, with which he 
was greeted as he came within ear-shot, his only reply was, 
" Caaales! Canales!'''* ycleped at every jump, as he dashed 

* The name of a partisan leader of some celebrity among the border Mexicans, 
and who, according to their many and conflicting rumors, was iihiquilous. He 
owes the newspaper notoriety which he gained during the war, more to the extra- 



I 

130 JOINED BY THE TEXAN RANGEKS. 

through the camp, and splashed across the stream, not paus- 
ing for explanation, in his anxiety to place as many troops 
as possible between himself and the dreaded pursuer. 

Our drummers immediately beat "to the color,"* and the 
companies ran quickly into line. Those who had heretofore 
complained of their tedious position in the rear, then 
rejoiced at being in the post of honor. All were anxious for 
an encounter with the much talked of Canales, the Bayard 
of the Greasers, and every eye was turned in the direction 
whence the flying Mexican had come. Soon the tramp of 
horses, and the clatter of arms, informed us that a large 
mounted force was rapidly approaching. A few moments of 
anxious interest and unbroken silence ensued, terminating 
not, as all expected, in the shouts of angry defiance that 
hung upon every tongue, but in cheers of friendly welcome, 
as the advancing party was recognized to be the Texan regi- 
ments of Colonels Hays and Woods. They passed us at a 
rapid trot, to gain their position in the column. The terrified 
Mexican, not knowing that the principal part of our cavalry 
was advancing on the lower or China road, had taken Gener- 
al Henderson's brigade for the troops of Canales, an inter- 
view with whom, he, being a muleteer in our service, rea- 
sonably supposed would not be very agreeable just at that 
time. 

ordinary fear with which his name inspired some of the country people, and the 
hyperbolical representations of our letter-writing corps, than to any success as a 
guerrilla. As, for a long time after our arrival in the country, we had only heard 
of him, and almost of him alone, I had begun to regard Senor Canales as a " man 
in buckram," and every Mexican account of his audacity and courage as a mere 
myth. 

* The signal to form by battalion. 



WE RKAUll SAN FRANCISCO. 131 

The army marched five leagues on the 18th, and before 
dusk had encircled, with its camp, the little village of San 
Francisco, which, like all others on our route, was nearly 
deserted. During the day, the men traveled merrily and 
briskly, their ardor increasing at every step which brought 
them nearer to the foe. The jest and repartee flew rapidly 
from rank to rank, and the songs were more frequent and 
vociferous. The few old campaigners, in the regiment, had 
already taught their young comrades some merry, marching- 
ballads, the measure of which chimed well with the swinging 
route step. Thus they went on, laughing and singing, over 
hill and plain; and, in the light-heartedness and unconcern 
of youth, extracting mirth from every trivial incident or 
accident of the march. Of course, in such a campaign, 
laughable as well as lamentable events were of frequent 
occurrence ; and the former, by aflbrding anmsenient, served 
to lessen the fatigues of duty, A scene, so ludicrous that it 
has not yet escaped from my memory, was witnessed between 
Marin and San Francisco. It w^as one of those that should 
be seen to be enjoyed ; and wliich the pencil of Hogarth or 
Cruikshank could describe more faithfully than the pen of 
Dickens or Thackeray. 

In the progress of the march we came to a creek, or rather 
■what our western woodsman call a swale ,' the boggy banks 
and muddy bottom of which had been much cut up by the 
trains in advance. It was a sluggish stream of disgusting 
mire, which the wheels and feet of preceding battalions had 
scattered far along the road, causing it to look, as a sergeant 
remarked, "like the slimy track of an army of mud-tur- 



132 SCENES AT THE FOUD. 

ties." A short halt was necessarily made, in order that the 
men might cross as comfortably as possible, during which 
the companies successfully passed over under a lively cross- 
fire of wit and ridicule, drawn forth by the little accidents 
which befell many in the ford. One of the first to scramble 
up the opposite bank, was a stout, good-natured son of the 
Emerald Isle, who possessed a full share of all those quali- 
ties which have given the Irish a deservedly high reputation 
as soldiers in all quarters of the globe ; for what land has not 
witnessed their constancy and courage? After attempting 
to shake ofi" the brown mud that incased his legs, he turned 
and shouted to those behind : '^ Ah ! my jolly chaps, ye'U 
all be Quakers by the time yez get through that swate bog- 
hole ? " Then, after another survey of his nether integu- 
ments, " upon me sowl, it's as lovely a drab as ever was 
dyed ! " " Come on, boys," he continued " never fare the 
Red Say ; sure, and was'nt it the Israelites thimsilves that 
made yer pantaloons ?" This allusion to the Jew tailors of 
Cincinnati — who, it was supposed, had taken in some of the 
companies in their clothing contracts — and the idea that any 
such saving virtue as that insinuated, should linger in their 
threadbare garments, convulsed all with laughter. A short 
man, whose uniform was exceedingly ragged, waded the creek 
at my side, holding to my stirrup-iron, while I carried his 
musket. He, less fortunate than his long-legged comrades, 
was plastered from waist-belt to brogans, nsque ad nauseam. 
On taking his gun he remarked : " that's first rate mud, sir 
it's patched all the holes in my trowsers." But the odor, 
I suggested, might not be quite as agreeable as that of spring 



tllE DONKEY FORDING. J.Jd 

flowers. He laughingly replied that he thought it would not 
be so bad when it became dry, and with great good humor 
turned away to take his place in the ranks. 

Among the foremost to reach the stream w'as the bugler of 
one of our flank (rifle) companies. He had obtained a 
donkey somewhere and somehow on the route ; one of the 
most deformed of its ugly species. Its head was nearly as 
large as its body, and supported a pair of ears that the 
prince of asses or of darkness might have envied. The little 
animal was quite a pet with the men, and had been made to 
play a part in many comic scenes. It was unusually lively 
and musical withal, and seldom failed to lend its melodious 
vocal accompaniment to the instrumental performances of 
its master. The wags of the regiment pretended to regard 
it as the chief musician of the corps, and to incense the 
drum-major, sometimes ofiered mock obedience to its bray. 
This wonderful production of the animal kingdom the bugler 
had been permitted to ride during the march, much to his 
own satisfaction, and the amusement of others. When near 
the bank of the muddy creek, the donkey " smelt a rat" — a 
muskrat, perhaps, in that situation — and halting, suddenly 
braced himself back in the usual manner of his stubborn 
race ; and which graceful attitude was understood to signify : 
"here's one donkey that won't go it." "Without pausing — in 
the words of a popular comic song — "to give him some hay, 
and ax him to go," the rider, by the prompt application of a 
stout cudgel, compelled him to enter the water and advance 
a few steps from the shore. While in that situation, one 
of the heaviest men in the battalion mounted behind the 
7 



134 REACH SAN FRANCISCO. 

musician, and humorously insisted upon being ''''toted'''' 
across. The little animal, already overladed, sank deep in 
the mire under the additional weight, and becoming seriously 
alarmed, stretched its head toward the dry land and brayed 
both loud and long. In vain did the merry bugler coax, or 
the soldier en crovj)e^ prick with his bayonet. The beast of 
Balaam was not more immoveable. The predicament of the 
pet donkey, naturally enough, elicited many amusing remarks 
from the men, as they waded across. " Well, Bob," said 
one to a comrade, " I always did admire music on the water, 
and that ere jackass is a full brass band — he is." Another 
hailing the bugler, poli-tely desired to be informed " whether 
he intended to run all night ? " A third ventured to tell him 
that if he wished to stop, he could do so by " pulling the 
strings." The hind quarters of the poor animal were, by 
this time, setting rapidly in the bog, while its ears stuck out 
like the masts of a stranded ship. " Twig him now," 
shouted some one, " he's going down stern foremost." 
" Throw your guns overboard ! " " Take to the life boats ! " 
and many other such exclamations were made by the crowd. 
The bugler's donkey was finally brought over, as were the 
wagons, by dint of much laborious pushing and pulling. 
After a general scraping ofi" w^e again moved forward, and 
though halting "to noon" at the village of Agua Frio, 
reached camp at San Francisco before sunset. 

Such scenes as that I have attempted to describe, often 
enlivened our march to Monterey ; and toward the close of 
it, the regiment was in excellent health and cheerfully en- 
countered every labor and difficulty. To our young troops. 



THE SCENERY ON THE KOIITE. 135 

even the dangers and the duties of the service had a romance 
in them that was particularly fascinating. Owing to the 
absence of sufficient means of conveyance, or the negligence 
of the rear-guard, many tents and much private baggage — 
mine included — had been left by the muleteers at Cerralvo ; 
and it was not until many da3'S after the battle of Monte- 
rey that we recovered them. M}^ friends made themselves 
merry over my misfortune, especially as thej^ knew that the 
mule which I had purchased at Camargo had been claimed 
for the public service, and probably had aided in the trans- 
portation of their own baggage. But I had remaining a 
good saddle-blanket, and as the ground was dry and the 
weather clear, suffered no great hardship. 

The scenery, which daily became more interesting and 
charming, was an ever-present source of pleasure to some of 
us. Before reaching Marin, the road, deflecting to the west, 
had brought us almost imperceptibly into a broad valley 
which was inclosed on the one side by the gigantic Sierra 
Madre, and on the other by the Cerralvo range. The moun- 
tains, first seen from Mier, floating like clouds in the dis- 
tance, now reared their bold and rugged peaks far into the 
sky, showing 

" How earth may pierce to lieaven, yet leave vain mail below."' 

These massive palaces of nature increased in hight and 
grandeur as we advanced ; the gorge or pass through the 
Sierra Madre, at the mouth of which Monterey is situated, 
expanding as we approached, daily, almost hourly, disclosed 
new beauties to the eye. 

"Thus, from afar, each dim-discoverec! scene, 
Moro pli'asin? seems, tlian all llio past hrilii been." 



13G THE SIERRA MADEE. 

Tlic mountain scenery of Northern Mexico is singularly 
strikino; and G;rand. The Sierra Madre chain differs from all 
that I have seen, in the abruptness with which it rises, like a 
vast wall, from the bosom of the plain. And a most suita- 
ble boundary it is, for the wide and wild expanse that lies 
between it and the coast. The great Appalachian range of 
the United States, having its feet buried in numberless broad 
and high-rolling hills, does not so fill the eye or the heart. 
Unlike our mountains, too, the Sierra Madre wears no forest 
drapery around its majestic form ; a few pines and cedars 
alone fringing its summit, or crowning the pinnacle of some 
jutting crag. Yet the rough, weather-stained rocks upon its 
sides, deeply set in moss, and half overgrown with shrubs, 
vines, and the bright-flowering cacti, make it a beautiful 
object, and one which the lover of scenery will ever "clasp 
firmly in the mind's embrace." I have gazed upon it at all 
hours and seasons, and always with increased delight. View 
it when you will — and 'tis ever attracting the musing eye — 
either when night melts into morn, and the growing light 
disrobes it of the cloudy garment it sometimes wears ; when 
glowing at midday in the soft light of serenest skies; when 
twilight lingers o'er its craggy sides, "beautiful as dreams of 
heaven ;" or when the silvery moon, at evening bright, 
walks o'er its dewy crest; it is always grand and enchanting. 
Even now, it rises before the mental vision, its towering 
peaks and richly tinted slopes looming through the mellow 
haze of that entrancing climate like a shadowy specter, called 
up by some magician's incantations. 

At San Francisco, after taking a hearty supper, composed) 



THE EVENING AT SAN FKANCISCO. 137 

as usual, of coffee, hard ]}iscuit, and tough beef, (the stereo- 
typed bill of fare, to which sometimes was added a kid or 
chicken,) a friend and myself climbed upon the flat roof of 
one of the village houses, to enjoy the view and evening 
breeze from the mountains. The prospect was an agreeable 
one, and amply compensated us for all the bruises and 
scratches attending the ascent, caused by thrusting the hands 
and feet into the holes which Mexican masons leave in 
the outer walls, as the only means of reaching the roofs of 
such buildings. The surrounding country was flat and 
uncultivated, slightly descending toward the Sierra Madre in 
our front. We turned our eyes in that direction, hoping to 
obtain a glimpse of Monterey, knowing its position between 
the now prominent Saddle and Miter mountains* — peaks 
which had long been to our march, as the cloud to the path 
of Israel. But the advancing shadows from the Sierra, and 
the dense foliage of the shallow valley in which it is situated, 
concealed it from view. In the gardens and streets of the 
hamlet, and in the few green fields around it, lay our army, 
just then busied with the last labors of the day. On one 
side of us were the quiet and sytematic blue-clad soldiers of 
the old line ; on the other, the gay and rollicking volunteers, 
diverse in their unifomis as their states. Many of these last 
seemed unusually merry, and little thought or cared for the 



* These lofty mountains, jutting from the main range of the Sierra Madre, flank 
the city on the east and west, and obtain their names from the very strong resem- 
blance which their peaks respectively bear to the deep-seated Spanish saddle, and 
a Bishop's miter. They are correctly and beautifully represented in the lithographed 
views of Monterey, taken from pictures by that accomplished artist, Captain Whit- 
ing, of the 7th Infantry. 



138 WOLVES AND KOBBERS. 

morrow, on which some of them were to make their last 
march on earth. 

Though the hostile armies were then almost within sound 
of each other's drums, the Mexicans continued to practice 
their policy of "a masterly inactivity," and had evidently 
concluded, rather than get into any disagreeable scrapes, to 
let us have our own way. An invading army in the United 
States, I take it, would have fared somewhat less comforta- 
bly. The boasted light cavalry of Ampudia, must have been 
composed of apathetic and most unenterprising fellows, or 
methinks they would have preferred a dash into our lines, 
some pleasant night, to the dull amusements afforded by the 
fondas of Monterey. Though there were many favorable 
positions for ambuscades along our route, yet nothing more 
formidable than the natural difficulties of roads and climate 
harassed our march ; nothing more alarming than the howl 
of greedy wolves disturbed the repose of our camps. These 
animals, by the w^ay, are very numerous throughout the 
country, and were induced, by the savor of our mess-pans, 
to give us frequent serenades. They are very bold, too, and 
great pests to the shepherds and herdsmen. I have occa- 
sionally seen them at dusk, prowling within the suburbs of 
large towns, a temerity encouraged by the absence of a rural 
population in Northern Mexico ; for there, the whole country 
without the walls of the villages, is surrendered to the beast 
and bandit. The season was exceedingly propitious for both 
these animals. The robber accepted a pardon from his gov- 
ernment, and took, in addition to his plunder, the pay of a 
guerrilla ; and the wolf not only obtained an unusual share 



THE FIKST GUN FKOM MuNTKKEY. 139 

of OX, mule, and horse tiesli, but iiuuiy a human conse found 
its way into his rapacious maw. 

At sunrise on the 19th of September, General Tayk)r with 
the mounted troops marched from San Francisco, followed, 
at intervals of an hour, by the three infantry divisions. The 
order of march being the same as that of the previous day, 
we were again in the rear. We had scarcely left the village, 
when a cannon-shot was heard in the direction of Monterey. 
Every man instantly, and almost involuntarily, stopped to 
catch the sound. It was the first hostile gun many of us had 
ever heard, and for the moment arrested every word and 
thought. 

" But liark ! tliat lieavy sound breaks in once inoiu, 

As it the clouds its echo would repeat, 

And nearer, clearer, deadlier, than betore ! 

On ! on ! it is — it is the cannon's opening roar I" 

The tirst solitary and rather indistinct report was soon Ibl- 
lowed by the unmistakable booming of distant artillery, 
which rolled, on the morning breeze, far over the wide- 
spreading plain. " Column, forward ! Quich — march !" 
shouted the chiefs of battalions, and away the men went at a 
stride which kept the mounted officers in a trot. Every heart 
beat high with new and strong emotions, and the most desir- 
able enthusiasm pervaded the various companies and regi- 
ments, as they dashed, with their rattling accouterments, 
through the chaparral, like a swollen and angry torrent 
through some mountain glen. All supposed that the 
advance guard had encountered the enemy in force outside 
the city walls, and, knowing the value of minutes on such 
occasions, we pressed forward for some miles at the greatest 
speed compatible with order. The heat and extraordinary 



140 THE ARMY ENCAMP AT SANTO DOMINGO. 

exertion were beginning to tell upon the men, when a 
dragoon — his horse covered with mud and foam — came dash- 
ing to the rear, to inform us that the firing was from one of 
the Mexican forts upon General Taylor and the Texan troops, 
who had ventured within range of the enemy's guns. 

This intelligence allowed a most welcome halt, after which 
the march was renewed and finished at a more comfortable 
pace. The road, as we approached the city, had been much 
broken up by the enemy, and in some places flooded by the 
damming of little streams that crossed it, so that the soldiers 
were again compelled to push the wagons through the mire. 
The army encamped in the beautiful grove of Santo 
Domingo, two miles from Monterey. A slight elevation, 
about midway concealed the city from our view. This 
delightful camping-ground was erroneously called, by the let- 
ter-writers, " the Walnut Springs.'''' The grove contains 
perhaps more than one hundred acres, and is composed 
chiefly of live oak and pecan trees, whose spreading boughs 
are thickly covered with the funereal drapery of Spanish 
moss. It is watered by many clear, gushing springs, the 
moisture of which has probably caused the remarkable 
growth of forest trees, so uncommon in that country. The 
shade and water it afibrded, made it a charming spot — ^just 
the place, indeed, in which to refresh a travel- worn army for 

battle. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The reconnoisance.— Beautiful view of the city and valley of Monterey.— Descrip- 
tion of the fortifications. — Worth's division sent to seize the Sallillo road, and 
attack the western defenses.— Skirmisii with the Mexican cavalry.— The action 
of San Jeronimo.— Divisions of Twiggs and Butler advanced on the north. — 
Attack of Garland's column upon the north-east corner of the city. — Its result. — 
Advance of Quitman's brigade. — The Teneria captured.— The 1st Ohio regi- 
ment enters the town. — Its operations.— Charge of lancers. — The repulse. — Loss 
and gain of our army on the 21st of September. — View of Worth's operations on 
the 21st and 22d. — The hights are stormed, and the castle carried. — The Mexi- 
cans retire upon their "second line during the night of the 22d. — Street fights on 
the 2L!d. — The capitulation of the 24ti]. — Taylor's letter vindicating it.— Ampu- 
dia's proclamation. 

The city of Monterey derives its name from the Conde de 
Monterey, one of the earlier Spanish viceroys of Mexico. It 
is the capital of the State of Nueva Leon, and the most 
beautiful city in the northern section of the republic. Say 
the Mexican historians of the war* — " The houses of Mon- 
terey are sufficiently handsome. Buildings of hewn stone, 
streets regularly intersecting, specious plazas, and a cathedral 
of magnificent architecture. A river, clear as crystal, flows 
on one side of the city, on whose borders there are romantic 
rural cottages, and gardens with thick foliage. The city from 
its origin had enjoyed repose ; even the civil revolutions had 
many times spared it, sacred to the frontier. After the mis- 
fortunes on the Rio Bravo, the whirlwind of war menaced 
it closely, and the inhabitants anticipated the grievous and 
mournful conflict." Situated in a fertile valley, in the midst 

♦ " Notes of the War," p. G5. 



142 THE KECONNOISANCE, 

of lofty and picturesque mountains, nature has invested it 
with many charms, and blessed it with that mild, dry, and 
salubrious climate, common to elevated intertropical locations. 
The city is said to contain a population of twelve thousand. 
It exhibits no evidences of prosperity, and is chiefly sup- 
ported by the wealthy landholders of the department, who 
from social or political considerations have established their 
residences within its enchanting precincts. It has no manu- 
factures, and but few shops. The bustle of business is seldom 
seen, the noise of mechanics' tools rarely heard within its 
walls. Indeed, the modern Mexicans seem to be scarcely 
superior to the semi-civilized aborigines, in their knowledge 
of the useful or decorative arts. And, judging from the 
aspect of the country traversed in our march, they are not 
even as well instructed in agriculture as those mysterious and 
most interesting races who formerly possessed the land. 

As previously stated, the army encamped before Monterey 
on Saturday, the 19th of September. During that day, and 
most of the next, our engineers were engaged in reconnoiter- 
ing the city. So completely were its batteries, and the whole 
town, masked by luxuriant gardens and embowering trees, 
that but little information concerning its defenses could be 
obtained, though the reconnoisance was wonderfully exten- 
sive, at least one fifth of the inquisitive volunteers assisting 
in it. At the enlivening suggestion of a friend — " ye living 
men come view the ground, where you must shortly lie" — a 
few of us, soon after our arrival, had ridden down to the hill 
midway between the camp and city, and were surprised to 
find a great number of our soldiers already there. Some of 



THE EECOJTS'OISJJS'CE. 14:3 

them were strolling far down the slope toward the citad.el, 
which, being sitoated jnst ontside the northern suburb, was 
the only fortification distinctly visible. In the general desire 
to see that as ret unseen biped, a Mexic-an soldier, thej had 
escaped firom the camp, tinarmed, and nnder various pre- 
tenses. The conduct of these men mnst have been no less 
surprising to the enemy, who were perhaps prevented from 
making a sallv by the fear of some stratagem or ambuscade. 
In the event of a sudden onset of Lancers, the rash strag- 
glers, defenseless and on fo<jt, would have been slaughtered 
to a man.* 

Of c-ourse the Texan brigade was numerously represented 
in such an adventurous assemblv, but the Eansrers. beinsf 
mounted on fleet horses, c^Juld in any emergencv have 
retreatei safely to the c-amp. Like boys at play on the first 
frail ice with which winter has cijminenced to bridge their 
fiivorite stream^ those fearless horsemen, in a spirit of boast- 
ful rivalry, vied with each other in approaching the very 
ed^ of danger. Hiding singly and T2.z-Alr, tl^T =~ept 

* Tlie thfiughtles rashness of these men elidied xhe fotLawins order from head- 
qriarters. 

Orders > Mead-OuarteTS. Anny nf Qcrrmptituon. 

Xo. 121. \ C(cam before JIanterey. St>ptem5er 2D. LS53. 

The commanding seneral fin tf.« ft necessary to condemH the practice which pre- 
Tails, of small, unarmed parties, and even indiTidnals, strayins from the Kr t ir ii ' * of 
the camp. No persons, except oficers, or armed parties conducted by oScers. will 
be stcfered to pass the exterior guards, and the seTeral commanders wiK grre the 
necessary orders to secnre an observance of this reaniitian. An infantry picket 
■will be thrown oat from the 1st diTison upon the ilonterey road, at a distance of 
half a mile, whose duty it shall he to arrest ill persons who may be ionnd in that 
direction violaxins this order. 

By <xds of Hajoc General Ta-tzch, 

W. W. 5. Bins, 
A^EEstant A^^utant GeneraL 



144 VIEW OF THE CITY AND VALLEY. 

around the plain under the walls, each one in a wider and 
more perilous circle than his predecessor. Their proximity 
occasionally provoked the enemy's lire, but the Mexicans 
might as well have attempted to bring down skimming 
swallows as those racing dare-devils. While the marvelous 
ring performances of that interesting equestrian troupe were 
in progress, the artillerists of the citadel amused themselves 
by shooting at the spectators on the hill. But the volunteers 
kept one eye at least upon the fort, and wisely scattered 
whenever they saw the flash and smoke rise from its battle- 
ments. The distance of the battery from the elevation on 
which we were, about 1300 yards, afforded sufficient time for 
a change of position before the balls fell hissing to the earth, 
generally upon the spot where a group of men had been 
standing. The excellence of the enemy's guns, and the skill 
with which they were served, were the subjects of mingled 
admiration and regret. 

From the position we occupied, a magnificent prospect met 
our gaze. In the verdant valley before us, lay the beautiful 
capital of New Leon, sparkling like a gem in the bright 
beams of the evening sun. The houses of Monterey, cov- 
ered with a hard, white stucco that glistened like polished 
marble, were seen in glimpses through the acacia and orange 
trees of the suburbs. 

"Amid the shade of trees its dwellings rose, 
Their level roofs with turrets set around, 
And battlements all burnished white, which shone 
Like silver in the sunshine." 

In the rear or south side of the city, and at no great dis- 
tance from it, was the Sierra Madre chain, while on the 



VIEW OF THE CITY AND VALLEY. 145 

east and west rose those remarkable mountains heretofore 
described, now seen from base to summit in all their grand 
proportions. As we looked upon the refulgent and beautiful 
city, reposing in the green valley, its charms coquettishly 
hightened by their partial concealment in the fragrant foli- 
age of the gardens, the lofty and insolated Saddle and Miter 
mountains, along whose sides floated many golden clouds, 
like ships drifting upon a lazy tide, the whole scene was in 
such striking contrast to the country over which we had 
recently passed, that we seemed to have arrived at the very 
gates of Paradise. A paradise, alas ! too soon to be con- 
verted into a Pandemonium, But with the roar of a hostile 
battery in our ears, we did not regard that lovely landscape 
with the calm delight of pacific and pleasure-seeking tourists. 
The imposing yet beautiful aspect of the city awaiting the 
combat, was viewed with feelings rather akin to those with 
which the keen huntsman, after a long and fatiguing pursuit, 
suddenly confronts some much-prized and formidable foe, at 
bay in its mountain lair. Its rare beauty and unexpected 
strength kindles anew the waning enthusiasm of the chase, 
and causes him " to hold hard the breath, and bend up every 
spirit," for the inevitable and doubtful struggle. 

Linked in the memory with our first view of Montery, is 
one of those sublime and fleeting serial scenes, by which the 
heavens are often made to declare the glory of God and 
the firmament to show his handiwork, and whose surpassing 
grandeur appeals to " every thing that hath breath to praise 
the Lord." There is a deep and romantic mountain gorge 
west of the city, through which passes the road to Saltillo, 



146 A CLOUD SCENE. 

and the interior of Mexico.* As we lingered upon the hill 
to survey the dangerous charms of our fascinating foe, we 
beheld a dense cloud far up the pass, rolling rapidl}^ down, 
like an Alpine torrent, toward the city. It completely filled 
the gorge, and concealed in its massive folds every crag and 
shrub as it advanced. It differed from the wonderful cloud 
we had observed with so much interest at Camargo, especially 
in the ominous silence attending its progress. Both were 
presented to our gaze about the same hour of the day, but 
that seen at Camargo, approacliing us from the east, was 
brightened and adorned by the rays of the setting sun, while 
this, coming from the west, frowned darkly and fearfully upon 
us. As it advanced, it continued to rise and spread until it 
occupied the whole of the narrow valley through which it 
moved. The slanting rays of light from the west, piercing 
its thin, upper folds, formed a foam-like crest upon the cloud 
cataract. It was a mute and magnificent representation of 
Niagara, The resemblance was more perfect when the cloud, 
reaching the mouth of the pass, encountered a strong current 
of air flowing parallel with the Sierra Madre, which, while 
holding it firmly within its mountain banks, whirled in wild 
eddies the heavy vapor at its base, and scattered into mist 
the more elevated and projecting portions of the mass. Like 
some mighty host suddenly and impetuously assailed when 
marching in close column through a narrow defile, the broken 



* Through this gorge, wiiich widens into the pretty little valley of Santa 
Catalina, is the only practicable route tor wagons and artillery to be found in the 
■whole range of the Sierra Madre. There is another pass through the rocky ram- 
part, many leagues to the eastward, leading to Tida de Tamaulipas, but it is rough 
and precipitous — merely a bridle path. 



THE NIGHT DEFORE THE BAITLE, 1-17 

and tumultuous cloud, unable to extend its front, was dis- 
persed as rapidly as it advanced. In this splendid spectacle, 
this combat of the elements, the deities of the air had im- 
parted to us a jiractical lesson in the art of war. 

Having loitered around the city until the o-linmiering land- 
scape faded from the sight, we galloped back to canii). It 
was a pleasant night, and I did not regret that duty called 
me to watch through its witching hours. A solemn stillness 
pervaded the camp, when, soon after our return, I set out to 
visit the guard. Many of the men, whose tents had been 
lost on the march, were stretched in sleep beneath the umbra- 
geous trees, dreaming, perhaps, of the kindred and country 
some of them were never more to see. A few individuals 
wrapped in their blankets were fitting or standing, silent and 
alone, tlieir minds, it may be, occupied with dazzling and 
ambitious hopes of distinction, or obscured by gloomy pre- 
sentiments of the coming strife. As I groped my way among 
the many obstructions which then filled the grove, I came 
upon a party of officers who were discussing in low and 
earnest tones, the rumored result of the first reconnoisance. 
In a brief conversation with them, I discovered that they were 
all greatly disappointed in the strength of the city, and 
anticipated a sanguinary conflict. One of them, a thorough 
soldier, asserted that any attempt to take the place without a 
battering train, would be to convert the army into a forlorn 
hope. But dark as the prospect was, all had evidently deter- 
mined to triumph or die, and in passing the canteen, united 
in the sentiment, that a victory worthy of our arms and 
country might be gained at ]\ronterey. The volunteers 



148 ANTICIPATIONS OF THE BATTLE. 

being generally inexperienced in military affairs, yet having 
blind confidence in their Chief, had no idea that the means 
in our possession were considered inadequate to the easy 
accomplishment of the object in view, and I believe that 
most of them would gladly have stormed at any hour. 

But belligerent as man is said to be by nature, and anxious 
as all were to participate in that most interesting of great 
events, a battle, yet, probably, there were but few persons in 
the army who could regard with indifference such a trial as 
was then at hand. Officers high in rank, or occupying those 
fortunate positions which secure for them a favorable mention 
in the official reports, may see bright rewards glittering in 
the dark and dangerous future. In their ears, the weird sis- 
ters may whisper mystic promises of the Presidency, the 
Senate, and Foreign Missions. But life is their stake also, 
and considering the responsibilities as well as the rewards 
attending rank and station, it is doubtful whether their 
minds are as much at ease on the eve of battle, as those 
of the nameless soldiers, abused in the particular, and 
applauded in the aggregate, who are destined to die unwept, 
or live unhonored. To all ranks, particularly to us raw volun- 
teers, the proximity of our enemy, and the certainty of com- 
bat, was strangely exciting. How anxiously did the mind at 
that hour contemplate the future ! How busy, too, was 
memory with the past ! How ineffably pleasing to the 
aroused senses were all the works of nature then ! For 
ourselves we would confess, that when emersintr from the 
shadow of the wood, we entered the open, moonlight plain in 
which the guard was stationed, the earth and its, " majestical 



THE MORNING OF TEIE SABBATH. 14:9 

roof, fretted with golden lire," seemed more beautiful than 
ever before. 

" The balmiest sigh 
VVliich vernal zephyrs breathe in evening's ear, 
Were discord to the speaking quietude 
That wrapt the moveless scene." 

The scene was, in truth, divinely calm and fair. Even the 
stern sentinels yielded to its influence, and like the radiant 
orbs above them, moved in solemn silence through the night. 
The large force assembled at the guard-station was unusually 
quiet, and while the men stood leaning on their arms, ready 
for any emergency, the thoughts of many had doubtless flown 
through that pure, serene, eflulgent air, back over the wild 
and thirsty plains of the iicrra caliente^ across the wide and 
trackless Gulf, and up the great " Father of Waters," to the 
loved ones at home. From that happy communion, they 
returned to inspire many a watch-worn and weary soldier 
with courage and mercy. 

The Mexicans, disinclined to night operations, permitted 
the hours to steal quietly on. Before morning had " dappled 
the drowsy east," or the reveille had pierced the sleeper's 
ear, the army was stirring ; the blazing breakfast-fires dissi- 
pated the darkness of the grand old grove, and, though no 
orders for battle had been issued, the camp began to resound 
with the din of preparation. Soon the music of the distant 
church-bells floated sweetly and peacefully to our ears. These 
familiar sounds, it must be admitted, alone reminded some 
of us that it was the Sabbath ; for the fourth commandment, 
and indeed almost every other not contained in the " Army 
Regulations," and "Orders of the Day," seemed to be gener- 



150 VISIT TO TAYLOK. 

ally ignored. Two Catholic priests were attached to our 
army, but what part they were instructed to perform iu the 
campaign is, to the writer at least, unknown. Quien sale f 
Certainly they never, perhaps for lack of encouragement, 
observed the divine injunction declared by the Prophet whom 
the Lord knew face to face — "And it shall be, when ye are 
come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and 
speak unto the people." If, as some believed, their appoint- 
ment was designed by the government as a master-stroke of 
policy, it deserves to rank with the admission of Santa Anna 
to the blockaded port of Vera Cruz. But whatever may 
have been the motives of the Cabinet in the matter, the 
worthy ecclesiastics were well received by the army, and 
treated with due respect by the commanding general, who, 
unlike the Constable de Bourbon, had no fear that men would 
say — " Taylor is turned driveler, and rides to war in com- 
pany with monks." * 

At an early hour on the 20th, (Sunday,) I had occasion to 
visit head-quarters, where I found the General sitting before 
his tent, as " calm as a summer's morning." I learned soon 
afterward that an attack would probably not be made that 
day, and that the engineers under the direction of the gallant 
and accomplished Mansfield, were again busied with the 
reconnoisance. The position of afiairs at that period, as 
will readily be seen, was well calculated to inspire the com- 
mander-in-chief with the most painful anxiety. No one, 

* The reverend gentlemen alluded to, were Fathers McElroy and Rey. The 
former, I believe, remained at Matamoros, but the latter marched with us to Mon- 
terey, and was murdered by the Mexicans soon after the capture of the city. 



SriKIT OF THE AKMY. 151 

however, who observed the cheerful manner and determined 
mien with which he received his officers that morning, could 
suppose that the usual serenity of his strong mind was in the 
least disturbed. On the bold spirit of Taylor, difficulties 
operated rather as incentives than discouragements to action. 
Doubtless, as at Palo Alto, he had resolved to fight the 
enemy, whenever, wherever, and in whatever numbers he 
found him. His officers and soldiers were not slow to partic- 
ipate in his courageous impulses and resolute spirit ; they, 
" beholding him, pluck comfort from his looks." But few 
doubted the issue of the approaching conflict. Situated as 
was our army, hundreds of miles from reinforcements, with 
a powerful enemy in front, a barren and hostile country in 
rear, it became absolutely necessary to beat Ampudia, and 
take Monterey, cost what it might, and so, "out of this 
nettle, danger, to cull the flower, safety." Why, after Con- 
gress had voted ample means to prosecute the war, our armies 
in Mexico w^ere so often placed in those fearful straits, from 
which their deliverance appeared to be almost miraculous, is 
a question that has frequently excited the attention and 
astonishment of the American people. The Executive depart- 
ment of the government being of course responsible for the 
conduct of the war, and the proper application of the men 
and money granted for its prosecution, has not escaped cen- 
sure ; but a more charitable explanation of the matter, may 
perhaps be found in the great extent of the line of military 
operations, the difficulty of obtaining transportation, and the 
unceasing and wasting inroads of disease. However, many 
perplexing obstacles might have been avoided, and many 



152 DESOKIi'TIOK OF THE ENEMY's WOKKS. 

lives saved, had the prudent counsels of Winfield Scott, 
heretolbre alluded to, been heeded by the Cabinet. 

In order that the reader may have a better understanding 
of the battle of Monterey, it will be well, before entering on 
its description, to take a general survey of the fortifications 
of the enemy, of the position and strength of many of which 
we were not apprised until we received their fire in the prog- 
ress of the engagement. The outline of the city, as will be 
seen from the accompanying map, is nearly that of a paral- 
lelogram, the longest sides being on the north and south. 
The only elevated ground in its immediate vicinity that could 
be made serviceable in its defense, was the steep and bare hill 
of the Ohisjjado^ rising from the western suburbs, and upon 
which the Bishop's Castle and Fort Independence were situ- 
ated. Between this hill and a spur of the Sierra Madre, 
about six hundred yards to the south of it, and which was 
crowned by the two forts Federacion and Soldada, runs the 
river and road from the Saltillo pass. The elevation between 
our camp and the city, already mentioned, could scarcely be 
termed a MIL It was merely a low swell of the plain, within 
good battering distance of the town, however. On this ele- 
vation our Mortar Battery, (save the mark !) was planted. 
This formidable battery consisted of a single ten inch con- 
cern, which looked more like some old witch's soup pot, than 
one of those — 

" Mortal engines, whose rude throats 
Tlie immortal Jove's dread clamors counterfeit." 

It proved perfectly useless in that position, and our old gray- 
haired chief of artillery, on observing how far short of the 



THE enemy's works UiS THE NOIM'H. 153 

city the first shell exploded, gave it a contemptuous hick 
which almost sent it from the platform. 

The fortifications of the exterior line on the north were, 
first, the citadel. It was a remarkably strong work, occupy- 
ing an area of two hundred and seventy yards square, and 
inclosing an unfinished church, which, in its solidity, like 
most others in Mexico, showed a military as well as a reli- 
gious design. Indeed, the churches have been almost as 
conspicuous in the wars of modern Mexico, as were the 
'"'' teocalles," pyramidal temples of the aborigines, in the 
(Spanish invasion. This fortress, standing just on the edge 
of the plain, commanded every approacii to the northern 
suburbs, which, thinly covered with humble dwellings, 
environed by luxuriant gardens, stretched from east to west 
the whole length of the city. Lofty hedges, and rows of 
fruit trees divided these suburban squares, whose dense 
foliage served to screen numerous parties of lurking sharp- 
shooters. A snuiU stream flows between the city and this 
suburb. The Marin road, upon which we advanced, and 
wliicli is the principal thoroughfare from the north, crosses 
this stream, and at once enters the cit}^ by the bridge of the 
Furisima, a substantial stone structure, defended by artillery 
and infantry. All the streets leading in the same direction 
were barricaded at the stream, down to the edge of which the 
city is compactly built. To turn these works, therefore, 
flanked by massive stone houses, full of troops, was out of 
the question. x\nd no prudent ofiicer, advised of their 
strength and position, would assault them until he had 
probed in vain for a more vulnerable point in the enemy's 



154 WOKKS ON THE WEST, SOUTH, AND EAST. 

exterior line. Sncli were the defenses on the north side of 
the city. 

On the west were, the Bishojp's Castle^ situated about^ 
midway up the rugged slope of the hill of the Obispado, 
Fort Indejpendencia^ crowning its summit, and forts Fede- 
Tacion and Soldada^ on a spur of the Sierra Madre, south of 
the Saltillo road. These fortifications, with the citadel, were 
the only military works observable from the plain. Naturally 
strong, and occupied by the enemy in considerable force, they 
seemed impregnable, and the troops selected to storm them 
were generally regarded as enfans^perdus* 

On the south and east, the walls of the city are washed by 
a broad and rapid river, which flows from distant and almost 
inaccessible ravines of the Sierra Madre. Its high and pre- 
cipitous banks were defended by the redoubts. La Teneria^ 
Diabolo^ Lihertad, with other smaller batteries, all so con- 
nected by houses and fleches of masonry, as to form a con- 
tinuous line of defense on those two sides. In additon to 
these works of the first, or exterior line, comir.anding all the 
approaches to the city, there was a vast number of interior 
street fortifications. Every square was defended by barri- 
cades, some ten or twelve feet in thickness, and many of 



* These higlits were, however, carried by General Worth's division, with such 
trifling loss, that many persons, supposing it the weakest point in the enemy''s 
defenses, have suggested that our whole army should have attacked on the west. 
But it was (naturally at least) the strongest section of the Mexican line, and its 
cheap conquest is alike due to the admirable strategy of Worth, and to the extra- 
ordinary diversion, made in aid of his operations, by the ardent troops under Tay- 
lor, on the opposite side of the city. Had the whole American army been thrown 
upon the enemy's western defenses, it must be considered that, instead of meeting 
the garrisons only of the forts stormed by Worth, it would certainly have encoun- 
tered Ampudia's entire force on the Obispado hill. 



AMERICAN TKOOrS AT MOKTEEEY. 155 

them having embrasures for guns, while the flat roofs, sur- 
rounded by high and massive parapets, made each house a 
fortress. At least ten thousand troops, regulars and citizen 
auxiliaries, with iiftv pieces of artillery, held the town, the 
entire population of which was animated by a spirit of deter- 
mined hostility. They were fighting, as they believed, for 
all that could nerve men to the most desperate resistance. 

For the reduction of the city, thus fortified and defended, 
General Taylor had about six thousand men of all arms. 
Unfortunately he had no artillery suitable for a siege. "With 
the aid of a half dozen heavy guns, it is believed that we 
could have taken Monterey in half the time, and with a tenth 
of the lives it eventually cost us. 

The following is a list of the corps comprising the Six 
Thousand. But few of them had more than half their com- 
plement of men, and some had even less. 

First Division — General Twiggs. 

^-, -r^ . •. r^d Dragoons, 

3d Brigade, . , 

„ , , . Iiido;ely's Batterv, 

Commanded bv -< ° " 

-r ^ ^ " I 3d Inlantry, 
Lt. Col. Garland. ^ ^' 

\.-^ui Inlantry. 

4th Brigade, f Bragg's battery. 

Commanded by <( 1st Infantry, 

Lt, Col. Wilson. (^Baltimore Battalion. 

Second Division — General Worth. 
1st Brigade, f Duncan's battery, 

Commanded by <^ Artillery battalion, (serving as infantry) 
Major Staniiord. (^8th Infantry. 



156 AMEKICAN TROOFS AT MONTEKEY. 



2d Brigade, 
Commanded by «^ 
Col. P. F. Smith 



MackaU's battery, 

5th Infantry, 

Tth Infantry, 

Bhanchard's Company of La. Yoluntcers. 



TJiird Division^ General Butler. 

Brigade of C 1st Ohio regiment. 
Gen. Hamcr. ( 1st Kentucky regiment. 

Brigade of C 1st Tennessee regiment. 

Gen. Quitman. ( Mississippi Rifle regiment: 

^ „ , ( 1st Re2;iment Texan Ilano-ers, 

Gen. Henderson. \ , ^ 

I 2d " " " 

"Webster's battery (two 24-pound Ilowizers) 1st Artillery. 

It was evident from the first that there would be a vigor- 
ous defense. The enemy made no petty sallies, or boastful 
displays of strength, but lay quietly behind their walls, 
awaiting the attack for which they were so well prepared. 
The greatest difficulty, that of breaking the exterior line, and 
effecting a lodgment within the city, was to be encountered 
at the outset. That accomplished, the enemy's superiority of 
artillery would be no longer felt, and the rest of the work 
would be comparatively easy to our skillful troops. Had we 
possessed a correct knowledge of the Mexican works, there 
can be no question, it is presumed, but tliat a night attack 
would have been advisable under the circumstances. In the 
want of all reliable information, the battle promised, as 
indeed it proved to be, a headlong assault of infantry col- 
umns over an open plain, within full view and range of the 



WORTH DIRECTED TO SEIZE THE SALTILLO I'ASS. 157 

enemy's batteries. It lias been remarked by a popular 
American historian that, " to defend walls, a body of sbarp- 
shooting militia may be as serviceable as the oldest and best 
trained troops, but to attack them, requires that perfect disci- 
pline, and unyielding courage, which neither pain, nor death 
itself, can unsettle or subdue." Yet courage and discipline 
alone will not always insure success in such contests. The 
assailants should have a sufficient weight of numbers to enable 
them, after deducting the loss necessarily suffered in the long 
charge, to overcome the force against which the blow is 
directed. 

By the reconnoissance on Sunday morning, September 
20th, it was discovered that the enemy's defenses on the west, 
were not as strong as at first glance they had appeared 
to be. General Ampudia having placed a delusive confidence 
in the natural advantages he possessed in that quarter. The 
commanding general at once determined to seize the Saltillo 
road, by which route, on the day before our arrival, a con- 
ducta with a large amount of money and provisions had 
reached the garrison. The roads on the north and east were 
already ours, and our cavalry swept the intervening country. 
By this movement to the west, therefore, we should cut off all 
communication with the beleaguered city, except by the labo- 
rious foot-paths across the steep Sierra in its rear. Brevet 
Brigadier General Worth, whose splendid division, increased 
to a force of 2000 men by the addition of Hays' regiment of 
Bangers, immediately got under arms, was instructed, " to 
endeavor, by a detour to the right, to reach the Saltillo pass, 
effect a thorough reconnoissance of the approaches to the city 



158 WOETH ADVANCES TO THE PASS. 

from that direction, to cut off supplies and reinforcements, 
and, if practicable, carry the higlits." 

The whole army united in commending General Taylor, 
for assigning this hazardous and honorable service to Worth, 
not only on account of the pre-eminent qualifications he 
possessed for it, but because it gave that distinguished officer 
an opportunity of healing his fame, which had been so 
" shrewdly gored," at the commencement of the war. Gen- 
eral Worth promptly and cheerfully accepted the important 
commission, with the remark, it is said, that it should bring 
him a "grade or a grave." He marched from the main 
camp at El Bosque de St, Domingo, at 2 o'clock, P. M., Sep- 
tember 20th, in high spirits, and at the head of one of the 
finest bodies of troops ever arrayed under the standard of 
the United States. A Mexican prisoner, with a hempen 
cravat about his neck, was led by the Texans as a guide. It 
was hoped that the circuitous march of the division through 
the chaparral would not be perceived by the enemy, and 
Generals Twiggs and Butler were ordered to display their 
commands in front of the city, in order to divert attention 
from the seriously menaced point. This ruse de guerre^ 
however, was unsuccessful. The large bodies of infantry 
that were soon seen pressing up the hights to reinforce the 
garrison of the castle, indicated that Worth's movement had 
been discovered. Owing to the difficulties of the ground, 
and the consequent delay in making the route practicable for 
artillery, the division was occupied the whole afternoon in 
its march from the camp to the pass. About dark, the Mex- 
ican cavalry, which had been favorably posted on the slope 



THE MOKNING OF THE TWENTY-FIKST. 159 

of the Miter mountain, charged and forced Lack some i-econ- 
noitering detachments of the Texan regiment. After a brief 
skirmish between the Lancers and Rangers, the increasing 
darkness compelled the division to halt, and bivouac for the 
night, just without the range of the battery of the Indepen- 
dencia. At nightfall also, the troops on the north side of the 
city were withdrawn to camp, leaving only the 4:th Infantry 
upon the plain, to guard our famous mortar battery, which, 
some credulous individuals supposed, would, on the morrow, 
blow the enemy's citadel higher than the Saddle mountain. 
Thus terminated the operations of the 20th of September. 

A gentle shower fell upon us in the night, pattering most 
melancholy music through our leafy camp. But the morning 
of the 21st was calm and clear. A fresh and balmy breeze 
played in the tree-tops, and the sun sent many a warm and 
kindly glance through the long aisles of the majestic grove. 
How many then beheld, for the last time, that most common, 
yet most magnificent and ever joyous spectacle, the opening 
of "the bright eye of the universe ! " 

It was understood that General Taylor did not then medi- 
tate a serious assault, but wished to make a strong diversion 
upon the center and left of the town, to favor "Worth's distant 
and detached enterprise against the hights on the right. As 
soon as breakfast was eaten, the drums called to arms, and 
the regiments were quickly formed. One company was 
detailed from each to serve as a camp-guard. This, while it 
materially reduced our effective force, formed a corps of no 
great strength. Had there been any union or energy among 
the country people, they could, while our army was engaged 



160 TUi ENEMY OPEN THEIR FIEE. 

in a distnnt conflict with the city, have overpowered the 
guard and plundered the camp. The loss of our stores would 
have resulted in great inconvenience and suflering, if, indeed, 
it would not have placed the army /tors du comtat. 

A march of twenty minutes brought us to the hill in front 
of the town, where our columns w^ere deployed ; the Regulars 
(Twigg's division) on the* left of the line of battle, and the 
Volunteers (Butler°s division) on the right. The order and 
calmness which characterized the movements of the former, 
were in striking contrast with the excited step and irrepressi- 
ble enthusiasm of the latter. A short time after our regi- 
ment had taken its position in the line, and while every eye 
was fixed upon the frowning citadel, whose time-worn 
towers were decked with many gaudy flags, a cloud of smoke 
was seen to rise suddenly from its walls. The next moment, 
a deafening roar broke upon our ears, and in the next, a 
shower of round shot came bounding up the hill and crash- 
ing over our heads. Startled by this thrilling and unfa- 
miliar melody, this piercing " music of the spheres," our 
people, much to their subsequent amusement, made an 
involuntary obeisance to the volley as it hurtled past. The 
Mexicans managed the heavy guns of the citadel admirably, 
and their practiced artillerists had been wise enough to obtain 
the exact range of every part of the plain before our arrival. 
They had one long and excellent piece, mounted on the 
north-east bastion, which seemed to carry death in every dis- 
charge. "That infernal barbette gun shoots like a rifle," 
said a friend to me, as one of its balls thumped through the 
side of an orderly's horse, a short distance from us. A few 



THE ACTION OF SAN JERONIMO. 161 

men were killed and some wounded on the hill. The sur- 
geons, who had already, with their usual professional non- 
chalance, displayed their glittering instruments and bandages 
on the grass a few yards behind the line, then commenced 
their merciful labors. It was remarked that, after the groans 
of the first suiferers were heard, but few of the soldiers 
seemed inclined to commit the offense of Lot's wife. 

To describe the events of the 31st of September as they 
occurred, it should be stated that, even before our line was 
formed in front of the city, Worth had brilliantly commenced 
operations among the hills and gorges on the right. Leav- 
ing his bivouac before "the blabbing eastern scout" had 
returned to advise the enemy of his movement, he had, at 
the hamlet of San Jeronimo, encountered the cavalry of 
Generals Romaro and Torrejou, covered by the batteries on 
the bights. After a fierce conflict of fifteen minutes' dura- 
tion, the enemy was completely routed, and driven in disor- 
der up the pass, or compelled to take refuge among the 
mountains. The Mexican loss in the afiair was about one 
hundred killed and wounded. Among the former, the Lieu- 
tenant Colonel of the Jalisco Lancers, Don Juan N. Najera, 
whose conspicuous gallantry and death-defying courage, 
elicited the admiration of friend and foe. General Worth, 
having thus become the master of the Saltillo road, prepared 
to launch his columns against the batteries on the bights — of 
which hereafter. 

The enemy, after the morning combat of San Jeromino, 
finding all his communications cut ofl', prepared, with 
undaunted courage, to resist the closing of the fatal coil so 



162 Oakland's attack on the nokth-east. 

rapidly and dexterously thrown aronnd him. The citadel 
maintained a deliberate fire upon our line in its front, which 
was as steadily returned by Webster's howitzers and the 
mortar, but without making the least impression upon the 
enemy. Meantime, the light field batteries of Bragg and 
Eidgely were compelled to remain inactive in the line, (for 
they were as useless as muskets in that position,) their strong 
and courageous horses pawing and neighing with delight at 
the well-known roar of battle. The preponderance of metal 
being evidently with the Mexicans, the game of artiller}^ was 
becoming a decided bore, when Taylor, advancing his left 
wing, brought on the action. 

Lieutenant Colonel Garland commanding a brigade of 
Twiggs' division, was ordered, with the 1st and 3d infantry, 
the battalion of Baltimore volunteers, and Bragg's battery of 
horse-artillery, to make a strong demonstration upon, and, if 
it could be done without too heavy loss, carry one of the ene- 
my's advanced works in the nortJi-east corner of the town.* 
Major Mansfield, of the Engineers, accompanied Garland's 
column to direct the attack, which, doubtful and desperate as 
it seemed, was yet undertaken by the troops with a cheerful 
and resolute spirit. With what breathless interest did we 
watch the progress of that devoted column ! Though the 
withering fire of the citadel was at once concentrated upon 

* This column of attack included all the infantry of Twiggs' division, except the 
4th regiment, which soon followed it into action. The 2d Dragoons (also of 
Twiggs' division) with Colonel Wood's regiment of Texan cavalry, had been 
ordered to scour the country on our right flank, and to support Worth if necessary. 
The writer has never seen a report of Garland's command ; but, after deducting 
the company left by each regiment at the camp, his entire force could not have 
exceeded seven or eight hundred men. 



garland's attack. 163 

it, it moved firmly and rapidly down the slope. Undis- 
turbed for the time by the enem3^'s balls, a profound silence 
reigned through the volunteer division. The same objects 
filled every eye, the same sentiment every heart. The tran- 
quil courage of the commanding general was not without its 
influence on our troops. Motionless as an equestrian statue, 
he occupied the highest point of the hill, his bronzed face 
turned steadfastly toward those well-known battalions of 
Regulars, whose courage and discipline were now about to 
encounter a trial such as they had never belbre known. Dis- 
regarding, and as if proudly disdaining, the galling jBre which 
was unintermittingly poured upon them from the citadel, 
they pressed heroically forward upon the Teneria, a redoubt 
of five guns, full of men, and flanked by other strong works, 
Now an intervening field of sugar-cane conceals the brigade 
from our view. Again it appears, still moving rapidly 
toward those ominously quiet walls, behind which are kin- 
dling the fires of death. Now the distance between the head 
of the column and the Teneria is so short that the cannon- 
eers of the citadel suspend their labors to gaze, like our- 
selves, in silent expectation on the issue of the charge. 
Another moment, and — 

" The pause is o'er ; the fatal shock 
A thousand thousand thunders woke ; 
The air grows thick ; the mountains rock ; 
Red ruin rides triumphantly." 

Artillery and musketry opened furiously and together from 
the enemy's well protected line, shattering the leading com- 
panies, and striking down a number of distinguished officers. 
The open area in front of Fort Teneria, to which our troops 



164 garland's attack. 

had advanced, was swept with grape and musket balls. So 
great and sudden had been the loss, especially of officers, 
that the column was, for the moment, checked and stunned. 
Had Garland or Mansfield luckily been informed of the 
enemy's positions, they could then undoubtedly have rushed 
upon the front of the Teneria with the bayonet. But with 
the hope of taking the redoubt in reverse, the direction of 
the column was unfortunately changed to the right, and led 
innnediately into the focus of fire from several batteries. 
The torn and bleeding ranks, unable to make head against 
that terrible storm, and unwilling to retreat, halted there, 
and set the smoke in which they were wrapt ablaze with their 
volleys. The Mexicans, greatly outnumbering Garland's 
brigade, being aided by artillery, and concealed behind 
intrenchmcnts, had every advantage in the combat. The 
rank and file of the 1st and 3d regiments, and also of the 
4th, which had soon advanced to their assistance, was badly 
cut up. Among their officers slain were, Morris, Field, Bar- 
bour, Hoskins, Terret, Irvin, Hazlett, and Woods ; for whose 
precious blood a hecatomb of Mexicans would be but a pal- 
try propitiation. Among those wounded in this assault, 
some of them mortally, were, the gallant Williams, of the 
Engineers, Lear, Abercrombie, Bainbridge, Lemott, Graham, 
and Dilworth. Failing in their attack upon the Teneria, 
the regular troops, dividing into small parties, and sheltering 
themselves as much as possible behind some scattered cot- 
tages in the vicinity, kept upon an annoying fire upon the 
advanced works of the enemy. 

Meanwhile the division of volunteers had remained cpiietly 



Oakland's attack is unsuccessful. 165 

on the hill watching the fierce conflict that raged on tlie 
left, at the north-eastern angle of the town. The roar of 
artillery, mingled with rapid volleys of musketry filled our 
ears, but the scene of action, at first partially hidden by 
fields and trees, was soon completely enveloped in smoke, 
in the midst of which the work of destruction went wildly 
on. Again did the batteries of the citadel open upon our 
line. The fire was promptly returned by our gameful little 
mortar, which, if it damaged not the enemy, served at least 
to diversify the spectacle, for its shells exploding high in the 
air, formed beautiful circles of smoke that continued to 
enlarge themselves "till, by wide-spreading, dispersed to 
naught." The scene, even before the introduction of Butler's 
division into the afiray, was one never to be forgotten by 
those who so anxiously witnessed it. 

Soon from out the dark cloud on the left, reeled solitary 
soldiers, wounded and bleeding ; then came small parties, 
bearing back oflicers or comrades gasping and groaning in 
agony ; then staggered out from the fiery edge of the fight, 
broken and discouraged ranks of men, chiefly volunteers. 
The appearance of these, and of mounted messengers, whose 
haste betokened evil tidings, assured us that the attack of the 
1st division had failed, yet the continued but irregular rat- 
tling of small arms told too, that our gallant troops were 
obstinately maintaining their ground. Considering the dis- 
parity of numbers in favor of the enemy, and his advantage 
in position and artillery, it is not surprising that some of our 
troops yielded to that destructive fire. The veterans of "Wel- 
lington and Bonaparte have faltered in like situations. 



1G6 butler's division come into action. 

General Taylor finding it necessary to support the attack, 
made at such sacrifice by the Regulars, now ordered General 
Butler, with three regiments of his division, to march at 
once by the left fiank toward the scene of battle. The Ten- 
nessee and Mississippi regiments, constituting General Quit- 
man's brigade, and the Ohio regiment of General Ilamer's 
brigade were selected, leaving the 1st Kentucky regiment, 
which had been posted on the extreme right of the line, to 
cover the mortar battery. Our men, hitherto the excited 
spectators of the conflict, and standing " like grayhounds in 
the slips, straining upon the start," received the order with 
loud hurrahs. 

The three regiments above named, moving left in front, 
advanced together in the same direction. Before proceeding 
far, the Ohio regiment was ordered "to the right," and 
instructed to enter the town at a more central point, nearer 
the citadel. Generals Butler and Hamer rode with us to the 
attack, while General Quitman with his brigade, continued 
to advance upon Fort Teneria. Profiting by Colonel Gar- 
land's experience, that general avoided any movement calcu- 
lated to expose his command to the cross-fire on the right, 
and marched steadily upon the front of the redoubt. Arriv- 
ing within musket range of the work, he extended his column 
and advanced firing. A terrific and incessant discharge of 
all arms was encountered from the Mexican defenders, but it 
neither checked not changed the direction of that blazing 
line. Manfully breasting the storm, the brigade moved 
firmly on till within a few yards of the fort, when the order 
to charge was given. Tlien the troops rushing forward 



FORT TENEKIA TAKEN, 167 

through the smoke, scaled the low earthen walls, and took 
the work as Joshua took Jericho, " with a shout." 

Captain Backus, of the 1st infantry, who, with a portion 
of his own and other companies, had previously gained the 
roof of a house overlooking Fort Teneria, hy pouring a des- 
tructive fire into the work just at the time when the charge 
was made by Quitman's brigade, contributed largely to its 
capture. Too much credit, however, can not be awarded to 
the Tennessee and Mississippi regiments, for the unyielding 
courage they exhil)ited in the attack. In spite of a resistance 
hardly less vigorous and formidable than that encountered 
by Garland's brigade, they carried in handsome style, a 
strong and important position, and thereby secured to us that 
foothold within the enemy's line of defenses so necessary to 
our operations on that side of the city. In this assault, the 
brave Tennesseeans suffered a loss of twenty-five killed, and 
seventy-four wounded. Of the Mississippians, seven were 
killed, and forty-two wounded. The garrison of the work 
fled precipitately as our troops entered it, yet about thirty 
prisoners, including three ofiicers, five pieces of artillery, 
and a considerable supply of ammunition, fell into our 
hands.* 

* The Mexican historians give us the following account of the capture of the 
Teneria in their ''Notes for the History of the War." Their complaint of the 
scarcity of cartridges is altogether unfounded. We certainly thought they possess- 
ed a tolerably good supply throughout the battle ; and upon taking the town we 
found many well-filled magazines; even the cathedral contained several tons of 
ammunition. But to the extract : 

" Then there broke forth to the north-east, a vivid flash of musketry and artil- 
lery, on the points of the line of General Mejia. A rude, sustained and desperate 
shock took place in the redoubt of the Teneria, whose limited garrison, with only 
four pieces, was multiplied by their glowing heroism. The attacks were renewed. 



168 ADVANCE OF THE FIKST OHIO KEGIMENT. '• 

AA'o now return to our own roginient, which, though 
then numbering less than four hundred, rank and file, was 
ordered, as the reader will renieniber, to attack the center of 
the northern front ot' the city. Its line of march was over 
the open plain, Mnthin grape range of the citadel, on our 
right tlank ; but the guns of that fortress, which had hitherto 
been trained upon more distant columns, M'ere not soon 
brought to bear upon ours. Tlie air above us was turbulent 
with whizzing and bursting shells, anil more than once we 
distinguished a sharp cracking, as oi' balls driven violently 
in contact. The regiment advanced in excellent order, but 
not without loss from the heavy flank lire. Near the edge 
of the town we passed Bragg's battery, already in very bad 
plight, apparently indeed, a perfect wi-eck. A few of liis 
artillerymen, and more than a dozen of his horses, were 
down in the same spot, nuiking the ground about the guns 
slippery with their gasped foam and blood. The intrepid Cap- 
tain and his men, though exposed the while to a galling fire, 
Avere deliberately engaged in re-fitting the teams and in strip- 
ping the harness from the dead and disabled animals, deter- 



Tlie impulse of the invader was vehement. The general-in-chief sent the 3d Light 
to reinforce us. The enemy came close upon the work when wo had not one 
cartridge for the cannons. The assault was plain ; but a reinforcement came up, 
with an order for the Lieutenant Colonel of the od Light, to sally forth and charge 
the enemy. The word to handle the bayonet was answered by enthusiastic vivas; 
to form column and then * * ». The parties say, and different witnesses do 
not satisfactorily deny it for this otlicer— with whose name we do not wish to defile 
these pages — that rushing out through the gorget of the work, he tlirew himself 
into the river, taking to tlight among cries of scorn and indignation. By the 
desertion of the Chief of the Light, the enemy took the Teneria, Our soldiers 
retreated to the ' Rincon del Diabolo,' within musket range of the Teneria, whence 
they made a courageous resistance, distinguishing among otlicrs Lieutenant Colo- 
nel Bravo, and Captain Arenal of the artillery." 



ADVANCE OF THE FIRST OHIO KEGIMENT. IGO 

mined that not a Lucklc or stru]) should ho hjst upon the 
field. For the safety of this battery, the advance of our 
regiment was most opportune, as we immediately attracted 
the fire to wliich it had previously been exposed. On enter- 
ing the suburbs, Lieutenant Colonel Watson, commander 
of the Baltimore Battalion, with two or three of his officers 
joined our column. That high-spirited and worthy gentle- 
man was killed soon afterward, while bravely fighting in our 
midst. 

Wo moved rapidly through a labyrinth of lanes and gar- 
dens, without knowing or seeing upon what point of the 
enemy's line we were about to strike. At every step the 
discharges from the batteries in front became more deadly, 
while we had no opportunity for burning a cartridge. Noth- 
ing discouraged, the regiment went boldly forward, until it 
had reached a point in the suburbs north-west of the "Buente 
Burisima," and nearly on a line between it and the citadel. 
There we met Major Mansfield, who had conducted the first 
assault upon the Teneria, and who had since been closely 
examining the defenses in front. lie informed General 
Butler of the failure of that attack, and advised the with- 
drawal of the Ohio regiment, " as there could no longer be 
any object in advancing further, warning him at the same 
time, that if he advanced he must meet a fire that would 
sweep all before it." * The command was thereupon halted 
in a broad street, parallel with, and not more than two 
hundred yards from the enemy's works, at the stream hereto- 
fore described. Though screened from view by a dense 



* From (Jeuoral Butler's Report 



170 ADVANCE OF THE FIEST OHIO REGIMENT. 

hedge of pomegranate, the Mexicans seemed well informed 
of our position, and, during the few minutes we stood quietly 
yet impatiently there, sent some terrific rounds of canister 
into our ranks. Among those then killed was Lieutant Ilett, 
commanding Company H, whose captain had been left sick 
at Cerralvo. To stand still and be thus tamely and unresist- 
ingly slaughtered, was a severe trial for volunteers. Had 
the order been given they would willingly have cleared the 
hedge, and have stormed the barricades in front with indom- 
itable fury. 

We had been but a short time in that position when 
General Butler, who, on receiving Major Mansfield's com- 
munication, had galloped back to consult the general-in- 
chief, returned and gave the order to retrograde, and the 
movement was accordingly commenced in no very good 
humor. General Taylor, however, who was near at hand, 
animating, directing, and watching every shock and charge 
in the fight, " presenting himself even in the aim and very 
flash of danger," learning almost immediately afterward that 
Quitman's brigade had carried Fort Teneria, countermanded 
the order. At once and again the direction of the column 
was changed, and we re-entered the streets further to the 
east, striking at a point in the enemy's line between the tete- 
de-pont of the Purisima and Fort Diabolo. Upon the with- 
drawal of the regiment from the point to which it had first 
penetrated, the Mexicans had been encouraged to throw out 
parties of light troops, who, being familiar with the ground, 
followed us with a close and annoying fire. The order to 
countermarch, therefore, was obeyed with alacrity by our 



ADVANCE OF THE FIRST OHIO REGIMENT. 171 

men, wlio lioped to encounter these skirmishers outside their 
walls. But the skulking sharp-shooters knew not only how 
"to fall on pell mell," but, as we perceived, how " to fall back 
and retreat as well." They retired in haste before our men, 
whose impetuosity the officers were directed to restrain, in 
order that the companies might be kept well in hand for the 
deadly struggle just before us. 

Passing now near that quarter of the suburbs which had 
already been fought over by Twiggs' division, we occa- 
sionally heard, amid the roar of combat, the deep groans of 
the dying, and the cries of the wounded for water.* But in 
consequence of the oppressive heat of the day, and the 
quenchless thirst which seizes all in the fever of battle, every 
canteen was dry, and we were painfully compelled to witness, 
without the means of relieving, 

" The panting thirst, which scorches in the breath 
Of those that die the soldier's fiery death, 
In vain impels the burning mouth to crave 
One drop — the last — to cool it ibr the grave." 

Among mangled bodies, and these melancholy sounds, the 
regiment marched quickly on, with shouts that were heard 
above the din of the fight. Thus for ten or fifteen minutes 
we groped our way through the streets, turning many cor- 
ners, and crossing the northern suburbs diagonally toward 
Fort Diabolo. 

At length a large open lot was reached within full view of 

* General Ilamer informed the writer, in a conversation touching these sad 
scenes, that he saw a soldier of Company G, (from Brown county, Ohio) climb an 
orange tree, the branches of which were being momentarily torn aad severed by the 
enemy's shot, and pluck some of its juicy fruit for a wounded comrade. 



172 UNDER THE FIKE OF EL DIABOLO. 

that battery, ■which at the time was engaged in a spirited 
contest with Fort Teneria, then in the possession of our 
troops. The artillery captured in the last named work was 
being skillfully served by Captain Ridgely, and as these now 
opposing batteries were not more than two hundred yards 
apart, the cannonade just in that vicinity was deafening. This 
lot or square was separated from the broad area around 
El Diabolo by a wall and a ditch. Between these two 
obstacles was a lane, leading, (as we too late discovered,) 
from an angle of the tete-de-pont on the right. As the 
regiment entered this open place, we observed a number of 
the enemy's skirmishers hurriedly taking position behind the 
wall. The next moment a line of flame flashed above it, 
and almost at the same instant the diabolical battery in its 
rear saluted us with a terrible discharge of grape. A few 
men of the leading companies were killed or disabled, and 
our colors riddled and cut down by this first discharge. "We 
were now evidently " in for it." There, within sixty yards 
of us, were some of the olive-colored gentlemen with whom 
an interview had been so long and earnestly sought. The 
appearance of the regiment in the square was followed by 
startling explosions from every house and battery in that 
part of the town. There, and then, by that bloody baptism, 
did the 1st Ohio regiment obtain a name to which no pen 
has yet done justice. Never will the writer forget the gal- 
lant bearing of those courageous and obedient young troops 
at that place and period of the battle. There was no hesita- 
ting or wavering, no turning, or even looking to the right or 
left. A few of the foremost files discharged their pieces at 



CHARGE ON KL DIABOLO. 173 

the enemy, and then the whole corps made a dash at the wall, 
determined to dislodge the foe with the bayonet. jSTo orders 
were heard in that indescribable din and nproar. The offi- 
cers, first among whom were Generals Butler and Ilamer, 
led, and the soldiers followed, as American volunteers I 
trust will never fail to do. One had but to look at their 
countenances, their set teeth and expanded nostrils, to be 
assured that those men so recently taken from the gentle 
pursuits of peace, were now ready for the wildest work of war. 
The enemy's fire was, in my inexperienced judgment, par- 
ticularly heavy. The guns of Fort Diabolo belched forth an 
uuintermitting sheet of flame and smoke as we advanced, but 
OAving to the short distance, overloading, or the excited haste 
of the cannoneers, they overshot us at times so widely, as to 
cut off the highest branches of some lofty trees growing 
thereabout. A thick smoke rolled over our men as they 
crossed the square, and to the mounted ofiicers, their serried 
bayonets alone were visible, moving resistlessly on through 
the flickering canopy like an csrial stream. Before reaching 
the wall our progress was unexpectedly, though but for a 
moment, arrested by a wide ditch which was lull of water. 
Into this the men, notwithstanding their ignorance of its 
depth, did not hesitate to plunge. The water was waist- 
deep, and flooded the cartridge boxes of some who unlbrtu- 
nately had neglected to raise them while crossing. By this 
misfortune a part of the corps was rendered temporarily 
unserviceable at a critical juncture. A few soldiers, who 
halted in the water to slake their thirst, w^ere there shot. 
Adjutant Armstrong was severely wounded as he reached 
8* 



174: CHARGE ON EL DIABOLO. 

its edge, a grape shot passing through his leg, and entering 
the side of his horse. The enemy retreated from the wall 
before we sncceeded in clambering np to it, and commenced 
a race for life, which some of them lost. The greater num- 
ber, however, succeeded in sheltering themselves behind the 
adjacent batteries. 

"We were now in the street which unites tlie bridge Puris- 
ima with the Fort Teneria, and Avhich is inclosed at the 
point where we entered it, by a ditch on the one hand, and a 
wall on the other. Spreading rapidly to the right and left, 
the regiment opened a general fire upon Fort Diabolo, and 
the houses within musket range in front. The more numer- 
ous defenders of these poured such a storm of balls upon us 
that w^e could not have held our position five minutes, had it 
not been protected by the wall. Against it, the Diabolo and 
his imps kept up a knocking that would have put our modern 
spirit rappers to shame, if not to flight. Some of the Mexi- 
cans at first exhibited a daring courage, often leaping upon 
their barricades to deliver their fire. But the quick and true 
aim of our better marksmen soon extinguished that vaunting 
spirit. Of course, in such a fight, most of the wounds given 
and received were about the head and shoulders, many of 
them fatal. One of our men, Myers, a soldier of the Rifle 
company was shot in the mouth, which was fortunately 
closed at the moment, so that the ball after summarily 
extracting divers molars and incisors, lodged in the upper 
part of the throat, whence it was easily removed. The gal- 
lant Rifleman, spitting out the teeth and blood, and coolly 
remarking, (in a voice singularly changed,) that the pill had 



THE FIKE OF THE TUKISIMA OPENS ON US. 175 

salivated him, continued with his company for some time 
after receiving the wound. 

Aided by the lively and effective fire still maintained by 
our friends in the Teneria, we were beginning to hope that 
we might ere long silence the guns of Fort El Diabolo, 
when, suddenly as the lightning's flash, and loud as the 
thunder's peal, a battery was opened close upon our right, 
and swept the regiment with grape shot from flank to flank. 
It took all by surprise, and taught some young soldiers a 
lesson they will not soon forget. It sufiiciently explained, 
too, " why the Mexican engineers had suffered that garden 
wall in front of the Diabolo to remain for our protection.'''' 
A question which I had asked myself more than once. So 
dense had been the smoke, and so intent had we been on 
engaging the enemy before us, that we had not observed on 
entering the street that it was enfiladed by the tete-de-pont 
of the Purisima on the right. The same causes, with the 
uninterrupted cannonade, had probably prevented the gar- 
rison of that formidable work from sooner discovering our 
exposed position. At the Purisima, General Mejia, w^ho 
was charged with the northern defenses of the city, com- 
manded in person, and his artillerists having us "in a 
string," kept the street so full of balls that the escape of the 
regiment from utter destruction seems now, in a calm retro- 
spect of the affair, almost miraculous. But our men dis- 
played much coolness and dexterity in the emergency, and 
dividing into small parties availed themselves promptly and 
prudently of such shelter from this new and angry cross-fire, 
as happened to be near. 



170 UNDKli THE FIRE OF THE TUKISIMA. 

It was evident from the moment the battery of the tete- 
de-pont opened upon ns that onr position was untenable. 
The Mexicans, with artiliery and infantry strongly posted in 
front and flank, conld and did lire from behind their walls, 
deliberately and without much exposure, while but few of 
our troops were sheltered from the storm. Yet it was grati- 
fying to behold the obstinate courage with which these volun- 
teers continued the fight, each one demeaning himself as if 
the issue of the conflict depended upon his individual efibrts. 
The smoke was so thick that the small arms were discharged 
])retty much at random, and most of our balls must have 
fallen harmless from those solid stone w^alls. But the guns 
of the Purisima continued to sweep the streets furiously, 
while liis Satanic Majesty, El Diabolo, blazed like a volcano. 
Yet our silken standard, the staff of which had been spliced 
since the commencement of the action, by the color-guard, 
still streamed like a rainbow o'er the cloud.* 

The "noise and confusion" were indescribable, and the 
inhabitants of Monterey might well have supposed that all 
the embattled legions of Pandemonium were raging at their 
gates. Our position was just the one, it appears to me, in 
which any anxious candidate for popular favor, who cared 

* At th: organization of the 1st Regiment of Oliio volunteers, it was lound that 
nearly all the companies possessed banners of various devices. These were laid 
aside for special occasions, arid the flag of Captain Armstrong's excellent com- 
pany, (E,) bearing simply the national " stars and stripes," was adopted as the regi- 
mental colors. It was attached to a Mexican lance before the close of the battle 
of the 21st ol September, and borne on it through the campaign. Who of my 
fellow-soldiers is so fortunate as to possess this tattered and battle-scorched banner 
of our regiment ? He would much gratify his comrades, I am sure, bs depositing 
it in some public place, and I would suggest the new Capitol at Columbus, if 
assu:ed that Ohio cared to count such relics among her treasures. 



I'OSITION OF AE'FAIRS AT NOON. 177 

less for the rej^orts of fire-arms than of the newspapers, less 
for the balls of the Devil than for the disciples of Dr. 
Faiistns, might liave ventured to express his opinions boldly 
and candidly on the subject of " lliver and Harbor Improve- 
ments," or upon any of the so-called delicate questions of 
the day. The loudest voice was lost in the wild uproar, and 
officers were often compelled to communicate orders pauto- 
mimically, even to those who were standing beside them. 
About noon the storm of Ijattle was at its higlit, and the 
scene, as described by the reserve corps at the mortar battery, 
Avas intensely exciting and grand. The devoted city seemed 
to blaze at every portal. General Worth's division was just 
then storming the Federacion and Soldada on the right ; 
the troops of Twiggs and Quitman in the Teneria, reinforced 
by the howitzer battery of Captain Webster, was thundering 
on the left, and dashing their blows indiscriminately upon 
the Diabolo and the cathedral,* while our little regiment 
combated wnth the more central defenses of the town. Vol- 
umes of sulphurous smoke settled darkly and heavily over 
tlie streets, in which blazed flashes of musketry, anel the 
ruddy flames of deep-toned artillery. 

" The swift and deafening peals 



In countless echoes through the mountains ring ; 
Now swells the intermingling din, the jar. 
Frequent and fearful, of the bursting bomb, 
The falling beam, the shriek, the groan, the shout, 
The ceaseless clangor, and the rush of men 
Inebriate with rage !" 



* In the cathedral, a large and massive stone edifice, occupying one side of the 
plaza mayor, (principal square,) General Pedro de Ampudia had established his 
head-quarters, and there remained during the battle. An inmieiise quantity of ammu- 
nition was also deposited in the building. The Mexicans had, therefore, divested 



178 BUTLER AND MITCHELL WOUNDED. 

General Butler and Colonel Mitchell having been borne 
wounded from the street, and the regiment being more than 
decimated, General Hamer decided to withdraw it to a less 
exposed position. Indeed there was no prudent alternative, 
as nothing could be gained by prolonging a contest with such 
odds. And since the capture of Fort Teneria, the ground 
was of no value to ns, certainly it was not worth the lives 
it would have cost to maintain it. 

Those persons who have read the official dispatches, are 
aware that General Butler at one time intended to storm 
Fort Diabolo with our regiment alone.* It was, however, 
wisely unattcmpted. Admitting the possibility of organizing 
a general assault by our scattered companies in the midst 
of the confusion which prevailed, it must yet have been the 
most hopeless of all forlorn hopes. I do not believe that 



it of its religious character. It was most fortunate for the valiant General, who 
had tlius hoped to sanctuarize himself, that the church was bomb-proof, for the 
accoinplished Webster, aided by his brave and skillful Lieutenants, Donaldson and 
Bowcn, visited it with a heavy and searching fire. The only damage it sustained, 
however, was in one of the towers, where a large bell was splintered into irag- 
ments. 

* "A very slight reconnoissance sufficed to convince me that this (El Diabolo) 
was a position of no ordinary strength. Still, feeling its importance, after consult- 
ing with part of my staff as to its practicability, I had resolved to attempt carrying 
it by storm, and was in the act of directing the advance when I received a wound 
which compelled me to halt. Colonel Mitchell was at the same time wounded at 
the head of his regiment. The men were falling fast under the converging fires 
of at least three distinct batteries, that continually swept the intervening space 
through which it was necessary to pass. The loss of blood, too, from my wound, 
rendering it necessary that I should leave the field, and I had discovered at a 
second glance that the position was covered by a heavy fire of musketry from other 
works directly in its rear, that I had not seen in the first hasty examination. There 
is a possibility that the work might have been carried, but not without excessive 
loss, and if carried, I feel assured that it would have been untenable." — Extract 
I'lom Major Gnnriil Butler''s Eepurt. 



THE KEGIMEM' WITIIDKAWN FKOM THE TOWN. 170 

tliirty of the three hundred men whom we could perhaps 
have gathered for the charge, would have lived to reach the 
walls of the redoubt. The regiment must have been crushed 
by the weight of the converging fires of the enemy. The 
writer respectfully differs from the gallant General of his 
division, in thinking that there was even " a possibility that 
the work might have been carried," by so small a force as 
ours. Nothing less invulnerable than that celestial armor 
wdiich so protected certain faithful Jews in the burning fur- 
nace of Babylon's king, that not even the smell of fire was 
on their garments, could have prevented the annihilation of 
the regiment in the rash attempt. '--"" "^ 

The battalion, now under the command of Lieutenant 
Colonel Weller, prepared to execute a retrograde movement 
under fire, the most difficult that new troops can be required 
to perform. From the character of the conflict, the com- 
panies had become so scattered and subdivided that it was 
found impossible to re-form tlie line with much precision. 
But the column retired from the town in good order, through 
a street several squares to the east of that by which we 
had entered. As we emerged from the suburbs upon the 
plain, we w^ere charged by a strong corps of Lancers from the 
direction of the citadel. Fortunately, as the regiment had 
not then been instructed in the formation of the square, a 
brush fence happened to be near by. Behind it the men 
were at once drawn up, and every musket leveled upon the 
advancing squadrons. 

The cavalry is a favorite, and very numerous corps in the 
army of Mexico. The inilmtry battalions are composed 



ISO CHARGE OF CONDE S LANCERS. 

almost exclusively of pure-blooded Indians, while in the 
mounted regiments the greatest number are of the Si)anish 
and mixed races. The Lancers are graceful riders, and their 
chief weapon one which, I am inclined to think, is generally 
too much underrated. Until they import a larger breed of 
horses, however, they wdll not become very formidable troops ; 
for, with all the aid of their heavy iron spurs, they can never 
impart that momentum to tlie " mnstang," which in our 
cavalry tactics is considered of more consequence in a charge 
than the arms of the rider. 

The troops that so suddenly assailed us were the od and 
7tli Lancers, under General Garcia Conde. The ground 
was favorable to the movement, and for some distance they 
advanced boldly and beautifully, their long lances gleaming 
brightly in the sUn, and their whole line decorated with 
bandrol and flag. A great number of our soldiers who 
had been wounded by the enemy's artillery, were lying 
where they had fallen upon tlie field, and various members 
of the medical staff were at the time engaged in attending 
to them. When these were reached by the Lancers, we were 
compelled to witness one of the most savage and shameful 
spectacles which ever disgraced humanity. Surely the worst 
fiends of hell must have filled the actors in it, " from the 
crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty !" Not content 
with riding over and lancing, as they did at full gallop, those 
of our defenseless comrades who happened to lie in their 
track, large parties of those base and cowardly assassins, 
shunning an honorable combat with us, left their ranks and 
murdered indiscriminately all the wounded Americans in 



THE CHAEGE REPULSED. 181 

that part of the field.* The surgeons and their assistants, 
flying from the fate of their patients, were hotly pursued by 
the enemy, from whom they made so narrow an escape, that 
we freely forgave their attempts to play upon our nerves by 
the rather unnecessary display of their tools in the morning. 
The main body of the Lancers pressed on toward us in 
gallant style, but their speed instead of being increased was 
slackened as they approached. In vain did we caution our 
men not to fire until commanded. So excited and exas- 
perated were they at the cruel butchery of their helpless 
friends, that most of them discharged their guns as they 
obtained a good aim, but when the enemy were too distant 
to secure the most satisfactory results. Had they waited but 
a few minutes, their vengeance would have been ample. 
The first volley, however, emptied several saddles, and put 
them to flight. A few of the Mexican ofiicers still galloped 
forward in the hope of encouraging their followers to renew 
the charge. One of these fell mortally wounded within 
twenty 23aces of our line, and in dying threw his baleful eyes 
upon us, still flashing " with obdurate pride and steadfast 
hate." The breath had scarcely departed from his body, 
before Lieutenant H., of Company A, (who had lost his 
shoes in the ditch,) limping from the ranks, proceeded to 
appropriate the boots of the unfortunate Lancer. Drawing 
them over his own sore feet he returned to his place, remark- 
ing that "there never was a better fit." Many other little 

* Such atrocities have often stained the annals of proud and magnanimous 
Mexico. Yet the cruelty of the Texan troops, who were perfect saints as com- 
pared with theirs, is a favorite subject of complaint and censure with the Mexican 
historians. 



182 THE MEXICAN ACCOUNT. 

pieces of serio-comedy were played in the shifting scenes of 
the battle, but to rehearse which would too much delay the 
progress of our narrative.* 

After the repulse of the Lancers, our regiment was moved 
to a new position near the Teneria, and within sustaining 
distance of Bragg's battery, where we remained for some 



* It may be a satisfaction to the reader to peruse the subjoined Mexican account 
of the conflict between our regiment and the defenders of the tete-de-pont, and of 
the aflair with the cavalry. It will be observed that the want of ammunition is 
again pleaded, and here, it would seem, unnecessarily. And yet, strangely enough, 
in almost the next sentence it is stated that the Mexican troops "increased their 
activity." How can we be expected to agree with an historian who does not agree 
with himsell ?* 

The " confounded and frantic charge," so classically described in the extract 
is a piece of pure romance, a fabrication more shadowy than the labulous achieve- 
ments of the deformed Tyrta^us, and to which the word "confounded," perhaps 
misused by the translator, might with more propriety be applied. The sortie must 
have been made, if at all, after the withdrawal of our regiment from the vicinity, 
of the Purisima. Unfortunately we knew not of it, for certainly after contending 
so long with concealed and inaccessible foes, there would have been no shrinking 
on our part from the " breast to breast, and arm to arm," conflict. They are wel- 
come to the laurel ! gained by charging the dead, and bayoneting the dying. From 
the passage quoted, it appears that the 3d regiment is entitled to the dishonorable 
distinction of lancing fifty of our wounded men. 

" General Mejia was posted at the bridge of the Purisima. There revived the 
sanguinary contest, which was tenaciously prolonged with great carnage. When 
all the ammunition was exhausted, the troops asked General Mejia for the park, 
who answered that it was not necessary while they had bayonets. This reply was 
received with vivas of applause, and they increased their activity. Finally an 
impulse seized upon us, our soldiers leaped the parapets, and as Tyrtaeus said in 
exhorting the Greeks, breast to breast, arm to arm, confounded and frantic ours 
charged, and over the ground they had gained, and over the dead bodies of the 
enemy, and amid the vapor of their foul reeking blood arose to heaven the victo- 
rious cry of — viva Mexico. The brave men who gained this laurel were com- 
manded by Lieutenant Colonel Ferro. 

" The Americans having fallen back, General Mejia believed a charge of cavalry 
proper. General Garcia Conde was ordered with the 3d and 7th, who were in the 
place, to charge the enemy in the rear, by the way of the citadel. Garcia Conde 
led the corps to the point where he should have charged, and there the 3d alone 
entered the action, lancing more than fifty men of various partisan enemies, and 
afterward withdrew to the city." — Mexican " Notes of the War,'''' page 14. 



A NOVEL HAND-GKENADE. 183 

hours unemployed, save as a target for the Mexican artillery. 
But our soldiers endured the harassing service with uncom- 
plaining fortitude. Captain Ilooker, 1st Artillery, of General 
Hamer's staff, and Colonel A. Sidney Johnson, of General 
Butler's, were constantly with our regiment, and by their 
professional skill and gallantry, rendered it valuable aid 
throughout the action. 

At the approach of evening, all the troops were ordered 
back to camp, except Captain Eidgely's artillery, and the 
regular infantry of Twiggs' division, who, under the com- 
mand of Lieutenant Colonel Garland, were detailed as a 
guard for the captured redoubt during the night. One half 
of the 1st Kentucky regiment, which had been all day at the 
mortar battery, panting for the affray, was ordered forward to 
reinforce this command. The battalion approached Colonel 
Garland's position about twilight, under a heavy cannonade 
from the enemy. One of its officers, a tall, thorough-bred 
Kentuckian, and doubtless as brave a gentleman as any in 
the army, supposing that they were about to be led at once 
against the enemy, suddenly became disgusted w4th the 
small sword with which he had imprudently armed himself. 
It was scarcely larger than a fencing foil, and in his strong 
but unpracticed hand then seemed as useless as a bodkin. 
Scornfully throwing it away, and seizing upon two ponderous 
pieces of limestone, he marched confidently forward and 
entered the Teneria with one in each hand, ready and 
anxious for the fight. This incident was related to me by 
the major commanding the battalion, who jocularly added, 
that he thought of making a requisition upon the Ordnance 



184 KETUKN TO CAMP. 

department for a supply of band grenades, to be nsed by those 
of his subalterns who were not swordsmen. It will at once 
be presumed, by all who are familiar with the habits of 
American boys, that the officer thus " in league with the 
stones of the field," had but renewed a favorite alliance of 
his youthful days. How often has the writer, and you, 
reader, if ever a country boy, when " creeping like a snail, 
unwillingly to school," halted to pelt the unfortunate ground- 
squirrels and cat-birds encountered by the way ; or, with 
pockets well crammed with stones, aided some truant troop 
in the bombardment of a hornet's nest. 

Worn down by fatigue we returned slowly toward our 
beautiful camp at Santo Domingo. Now that the brazen 
throat of war had ceased to roar,^the silence which had fallen 
with the darkness upon the valley, seemed unnatural, and 
was almost as appalling as the sudden thunders of the morn- 
ing. Like that valorous Captain and veracious Chronicler, 
Bernal Diaz, after the three months' siege of Mexico, we 
felt " as if just released from a belfry." This quaint remark 
of the old Knight, reminds me that as we retired from the 
field, the Mexicans rang the bells of the city in merry chimes, 
that did not altogether harmonize with the groans of the 
wounded and dying. But their boastful and ill-timed rejoic- 
ing neither convinced us, nor themselves, that they were, in 
our Western phrase, " out of the wood," Though we had 
not been prepared to witness so pertinacious a spirit in the 
foe, yet with one of their works in our possession on the east 
side, and two on the west side of the town, captured the 
same day by Worth's division, as will be described, we knew 



RESULTS OF THE TWENTY-FIKST. 185 

that tliey could not possibly maintain the town. The most 
intelligent among the defenders, too, must have felt that 
their fate was sealed, and even while their bells were pealing 
so joyfully, doubtless were " sorrowfully ruminating the 
morning's danger." * 

The Mexicans, who always greatly exaggerated our loss, 
while they studiously avoided (even in official reports) any 
allusion to their own, stated that one thousand Americans 
were killed or wounded during the first day's operations at 
Monterey. Our loss was in reality but three hundred and 
ninety -four, including, however, some of the most promising 
officers in the army. But quite enough blood had been shed 
to satisfy some of our people that they had not properly esti- 
mated the military efficiency of the enemy. Yet in the con- 
dition of affairs on the evening of the 21st, we saw no cause 
for despondency at the prospect of victory. Indeed, in the 
events of the day, our troops found much to cheer and 
encourage them. If the snake had not been killed, it was at 
least scotched, and could not escape ultimate destruction. 

As to our own regiment, though it does not vauntingly 
claim to have fought "beyond the mark of others," yet may 
Ohio, ever more boastful of the triumphs of peace than of 



* The Mexicans have a happy faculty of passing oflf disasters for triumphs. 
Their historians confess that the battle of MoUno del Eeij was celebrated with 
music and bells, and that Santa Anna sent a proclamation by extraordinary 
couriers into all parts of the nation, stating that a victory had been gained, and 
that he had in person led the troops of the Republic, both of which " illusions,'''' as 
they are mildly termed, " the inhabitants generally believe to this day." 

The truth is, that when with the advantage of vastly superior numbers, and a 
remarkably strong position, as at Monterey and the Molino, they were not routed 
by the first charge, they considered they had made a lucky escape, and rejoiced 
accordingly. 



186 Taylor's report of the day. 

arms, be permitted to point with pride to her share in the 
fight; and each of her hardy sons 

" May stand a tiptoe when the day is named, 
And rouse him at the name of" — Monterey. 

What Major General Butler says in the latter part of the 
following extract, from his official report, of the situation 
and conduct of his brigadiers — Hamer and Quitman — may, 
with like propriety and justice, be said of the more humble 
soldiers of his division : 

"It is with no little pride and gratification that I bear tes- 
timony of the gallantry and general good conduct of my 
command. Were proof wanting, a mournful one is to be 
found in the subjoined return of the casualties of the day. 
That part of my division properly in the field, did not exceed 
eleven hundred, of which number full one-fifth was killed 
or wounded. The fact that troops for the first time under 
fire should have sufiered such loss without shrinking, in a 
continuous struggle of more than two hours, and mainly 
against a sheltered and inaccessible foe, finds but few paral- 
lels, and is of itself an eulogium to which I need not add. 

"Of my brigadiers, it is proper that I should myself speak. 
General Ilamer was placed in a position where nothing bril- 
liant could be achieved, but which at every moment impera- 
tively demanded prudence, and calm, unbending courage. It 
is but justice to him to say that I found him equal to the 
emergency. General Quitman had before him a field in 
which military genius and skill were called into requisition, 
and honors could be fairly won ; and I but echo the general 
voice in saying that he nobly availed himself of the occasion." 



THE NIGHT OF THE TWENTY-FIRST. 



187 



Dismal indeed was the night of the 21st of September. 
"Darkness and the shadow of death obscured it; and no 
joyful voice came therein." The complexion of the elements 
a,s well as the aspect of our camp was peculiarly gloomy, and 
pressed heavily on the spirits. Many of the soldiers sank 
immediately to rest upon the ground, too much exhausted to 
prepare supper, and needing repose more than food. To add 
to the discomfort of those who had no tents, a drizzling rain 
set in and continued to fall mournfully through the trees, 
while the wailing night-winds sang a requiem in their trem- 
bling boughs. Nature herself seemed to weep and moan 
o'er the sad scene. In the dimly-lighted hospital-tents were, 
to be seen and heard what I shall not attempt to portray. 
The surgeons, unremitting in their attentions to the wounded, 
were engaged the whole night in dressing wounds and ampu- 
tating limbs, their duties, as General Taylor remarks in his 
report, being rendered uncommonly arduous by the small 
number serving in the field. The commanding general him- 
self, though bred to the iron trade of war, yet possessing a 
heart ever ready to sympathize with its unfortunate victims, 
visited the hospitals and the quarters of all his wounded oflS- 
cers before retiring to rest. 

In consequence of the many melancholy duties of the 
night, our mess did not assemble for supper until a very late 
hour. When at length we approached the board used for a 
table, and the bright light of a couple of lanterns was allowed 
to fall upon it, all gazed with as much amazement and dis- 
gust upon it as if the banquet of Tereus or a feast of the 
Anthropophagi had been spread before them. The table 



188 A NIGHT ALARM. 

was covered between the plates and cnps with thin strips of 
human flesh and clots of gore, which the cooks, in the haste 
of preparation by the faint fire-light, had not perceived. 
Our surgeon, who evidently enjoyed the exclamations and 
denunciations which the spectacle elicited, stated in explana- 
tion that he had been compelled to use the mess-table at the 
hospital, and had "only cut off some legs and arms upon it." 
We insisted on having the bloody board turned upside down, 
and then seated ourselves around it with rather less satisfac- 
tion, as may be supposed, than we have experienced in plac- 
ing our feet under the mahogany of certain friends at home. 
After supper, we wrapped ourselves in our wet blankets and 
vainly sought repose. The excitement of battle having sub- 
sided, we began to suffer from the extraordinary exertions 
which the body had almost unconsciously made during the 
day. Sinews that had been strained like bowstrings then 
relaxed, and the cramp racked every limb. 

During the night, the fatigue parties continued to bring in 
the wounded, and one of them losing its way, and approach- 
ing the chain of sentinels from an unexpected direction, an 
alarm was spread rapidly over the camp. The " long-roll "* 
instantly resounded through the grove, and for a time all 
thought that the enemy were upon us. The weary and drowsy 
men flew to arms, and stumbling through the bushes, and over 
numberless obstacles, formed as good a line around the camp 
as the darkness would permit. Though the uproar was as 
complete as drums, bugles, and human voices could make it, 

*The long-roll is the signal for getting under arms in case of alarm, or the sudde^ 
appearance of the enemy. 



VISIT TO A WOUNDED OFFICER. 189 

and attended by some scattering shots from a few startled 
soldiers of the guard, yet so great was the fatigue, and so 
deathlike the slumbers of some of my acquaintances, that they 
remained until the next morning in happy ignorance of the 
"stampede," when they were deeply mortified at not being at 
their posts. Returning to our quarters, we found the brave 
old surgeon of our regiment standing before his wounded col- 
onel's tent, armed with a lance and pistols. Having, at the 
first sounds of alarm, hurriedly mustered the hospital attend- 
ants, servants, and other non-combatants, and placed in their 
hands such weapons as were within reach, he had determined 
to guard his patients to the death, and phlebotomize in a 
manner unknown to the faculty generally. 

About midnight, a soldier wearing the uniform of the 
regular infantry, came to inform me that a wounded ofiicer 
lying in the vicinity had expressed a wish to see me. I 
immediately desired him to lead the way, which he did, bear- 
ing a lighted candle in the socket of a bayonet, over which 
he held his cap to shield it from the rain. A short walk 
brought us to a small tent, which we entered. In the middle 
of it, and with only a single blanket between him and the 
damp turf, lay one, whom, as the light of the soldier's candle 

fell upon his face, I recognized as Lieutenant , of the 

1st Infantry. I had become acquainted with him a month 
previous at Camargo, under circumstances that contrasted 
strongly with this second most painful interview. But an 
active military life is made up of scenes as strange and 
varied, as ever bard or novelist created ! Though pale from 
the loss of blood, Lieutenant 's features were so calm 



190 OPERATIONS OF THE TWENTY-SECOND. 

and his voice so firm, that I did not think him severely 
wounded, and was quite shocked when, after remarking that 
" I hoped he had not fared very ill in the battle," he replied 
by raising the blanket and exposing to view the stump of an 
amputated leg. After having his foot shot off by a cannon 
ball, he had been placed in a wagon and jolted back to camp. 
The tortures endured during that rough ride, he said, were 
indescribable, and from which death would have been a wel- 
come relief. Unfortunately for such suiferers, there were at 
that time no ambulances with the army. The Lieutenant 
expired a few days afterward, under, I believe, the terrible 
second amputation, which it was found necessary to perform 
in many cases in that climate. 

The 22d of September, Tuesday, passed without any active 
operations on the north and east of the city. The citadel 
and other works continued to fire at parties exposed to their 
range, and at the Teneria. The guard left in that redoubt 
the preceding night, was relieved at midday by General 
Quitman's brigade. 

On the west side of the city, however, the battle raged 
with unabated fury. We have already mentioned the action 
of San Jeronimo, by which, on the morning of the 21st, 
General Worth had obtained possession of the Saltillo road. 
Between him and the city, were yet the strong hill forts we 
have heretofore described. The road, followino; the course 
of the river, ran through the valley between these, and was 
commanded by the guns of Forts Federacion and Soldada 
on the south, and of the Bishop's Castle and Independencia 
on the north. It was obviously necessary to dislodge the 



ATTACK ON FEDEKACION AND SOLDADA. 191 

Mexicans from these exterior positions before assaulting the 
west side of the town. 

General Worth accordingly ordered three columns, under 
Captain C, F. Smith, Captain Miles, and Major Scott, suc- 
cessively, all under the immediate direction of Brigadier 
General P. F. Smith,* to storm the two batteries, Federa- 
cion and Soldada, crowning the hights south of the road and 
river. The attack was made at 12 M., in full view of the 
foe, who opened a plunging fire from both works upon our 
men as they waded the stream, and commenced to toil slowly 
up the steep, rugged, and bare acclivity. The light troops 
of the enemy, descending to favorable points on the slope, 
offered a vigorous resistance. Our troops steadily advanced, 
firing, and the Mexicans, gradually yielding, retired slowly 
up the hill. In the meantime, General Smith, discovering 
that the ground favored the movement, with his character- 
istic sagacity and promptness, rapidly marched the forces 
under Scott and Miles obliquely up and around the hill, with 
the view of taking the Soldada simultaneously with the Fed- 
eracion. The last named fort was gallantly carried by the 

* Those who carefully noted the progress of events in Mexico, can not have 
failed to observe the genius and military talent uniformly displayed by General 
Persifor F. Smith. The commencement of the war found him, I believe, a practi- 
tioner in the courts of New Orleans. At the suggestion of General Taylor, he 
was selected to command the six-month volunteers of Louisiana, sent to the Rio 
Grande. President Polk soon afterward appointed him to the Colonelcy of the 
new regiment of mounted riflemen, with which corps, however, he never served, 
having earned promotion before its arrival in the field. At the battle of Monterey, 
he commanded with distinguished ability a brigade in Worth's division. He sub- 
sequently gained an enviable fame in Scott's army, especially for the splendid 
victory of Contreras. By his recent judicious dispositions on the Indian frontier of 
Texas, he has effectually secured peace and confidence to that border. 1 hope the 
President- makers will ere long discover his worth and talents. 



192 BOTH AKE CAPTURED. 

column attacking in front, under Captain C. F. Smith, com- 
posed of four companies of the artillery battalion, and six of 
Texan riflemen. Captain Smith immediately moved with 
his main body to participate in the assault of the second fort, 
Soldada, about five hundred yards distant, which was stormed 
at nearly the same moment by the troops of Scott and Miles, 
5th and 7th Infantry, and Blanchard's company of Louisiana 
volunteers. Lieutenant Pitcher and the color-bearer of the 
5th, were the first to enter the Soldada. 

The guns captured in these two works were immediately 
brought to bear upon the opposite hill, a valley six hundred 
yards wide intervening, and which was guarded by the 
Bishop's Castle, about midway up the slope, and the Inde- 
pendencia, on its crest. The possession of these works was 
of controlling importance; especially of the latter, which 
overlooked and commanded the Castle. Night, however, 
attended by rain, closed in soon after the capture of Forts 
Federacion and Soldada and operations on the west ceased 
for the day, the 21st. Successes had been obtained by Gen- 
eral Worth's division almost as important as the capture of 
the Teneria, and, owing to the comparative weakness of the 
enemy in that quarter, especially in artillery, at the loss of a 
very small number of men. Captain JVIcKavett, of the 8th 
Infantry, was the only ofiicer killed. The troops had been 
thirty-six hours without food, and constantly tasked to the 
utmost physical exertions. They spent the night under arms 
in a pelting stcrm, and at 3 A. M., on the 22d, prepared to 
attack the remaining works of the Obispado. 

The redoubt, the capture of which is next to be mentioned. 



STORMING OF THE INDEPENDENCIA. 193 

was perched upon the highest point of a hill, eight hundred 
feet in hight, and which from its steepness was almost inac- 
cessible, save on the eastern side, where it gently descended 
toward the Bishop's Castle, and thence down to the street by 
which the Saltillo road enters the city. It was deemed by 
the enemy impregnable. I well remember the astonishment 
with which the Mexican officers, who were prisoners in our 
camp at San Domingo, received the intelligence that General 
Worth had carried the Indepeudencia. 

Lieutenant Colonel Childs was assigned to lead the storm- 
ing party, which consisted of three companies of the artillery 
battalion, three companies 8th Infantry, and two hundred 
dismounted Texan Rangers. The command moved from its 
bivouac in the valley at 3 A. M., and was conducted to its 
point of ascent by Captain Sanders and Lieutenant Meade, 
of the Engineers. At the base of the hill, the force was 
divided into two parties, and silently commenced to climb 
the dark slopes. It required all the strength of the men to 
overcome the difficulties which nature had, at places, thrown 
in their way. Perpendicular ledges of rock and projecting 
crags were to be scaled, and thickets of stunted chaparral to 
be crept under. But " excelsior " was the motto of those 
invincible- men who slowly and cautiously pressed up toward 
the lofty apex, then clothed with a thick mantle of mist. It 
was Night's last, still, and dark hour, always the most favor- 
able for such enterprises. 

The garrison of the work, having witnessed the mettle of 
our troops on the previous day, and warned by the loss of 
the Federacion and Soldada, were on the qui vive ; yet such 



194 _ THE WORK IS CAREIED. 

was their confidence in the difficulties of the ground, that it 
was supposed no assault could be successful. At dawn the 
storming party had reached a point within one hundred 
yards of the redoubt, and where among the clefts of the rocks 
a body of the enemy had been posted in apparent anticipa- 
tion of the attack. The flash and roar which announces the 
coming of a summer's rain, is not more sudden and terrific 
than the explosion which then burst upon our stormers. The 
deep-set rocks around them were scarcely more firm and 
unyielding than were our stout-hearted men in that crashing 
blast. Not a shot was returned— not a cheer raised ! At 
the thrilling word, "charge," quickly repeated by the offi- 
cers, the Americans rushed forward and forced the enemy 
back toward the redoubt at the point of the bayonet. The 
summit of the hill occupied by the Mexicans, blazed like a 
beacon, while in the dark cloud around it, the flashes of our 
guns soon formed an unbroken ring of flre. Rapidly and 
regularly that burning circle contracted, until it mingled 
with the fire of the foe. Then came the deadly struggle. 
Those red flames were suddenly extinguished, and instead 
of the rattle of musketry, the shouts and groans of a fierce 
hand to hand encounter, floated out from the peak of that 
cloud-capt hill. Our men fought with unwavering courage ; 
the enemy, for a few minutes, made an obstinate but una- 
vailing defense ; but being forced over their walls, finally 
fled in wild confusion toward the Bishop's Castle. Among 
the few Americans killed in this assault was Captain Gilles- 
pie, a popular officer of the Texan Rangers. 

The next piece in Worth's brilliant programme was the 



STORMING THE ^ISHOP S CASTLE — THE SOKTIE. 195 

Bishop's Castle ; which was below, and about four hundred 
yards distant from the position last carried. No artillery 
was found in the redoubt, and Lieutenant Eoland, of Dun- 
can's battery, aided by fifty soldiers of the line, undertook 
the Herculean task of dragging or rather carrying a twelve- 
pounder howitzer up the rugged acclivity which the troops 
had climbed in the early morning. In two hours the labor 
was successfully accomplished ; and the howitzer, covered by 
the epaulement of the captured work, commenced to play 
upon the castle. Meanwhile the 5th Infantry had been 
brought up by its gallant Major, Martin Scott, to reinforce 
the hight, while the troops of Major Vinton, and the Texans 
under Hays and Walker, advancing to covered positions on 
both sides of the ridge, invested the castle with a close and 
constant fire, which the enemy returned from the parapets 
and loop-holes of that massive edifice. This contest of 
sharp-shooters continued for several hours, and with the fire 
of Roland's howitzer, produced a visible efiect upon the gar- 
rison. At length the Mexicans conceived the desperate reso- 
lution of re-taking the hight, as the only means of saving 
the castle; and about 3 P. M., having received heavy rein- 
forcements from the city, they made a vigorous sortie under 
Colonel Francisco Berra. This was a movement long antici- 
pated, and for which the needful dispositions had been made 
by the accomplished strategist who commanded our troops. 
The enemy was allow^ed to advance, unmolested, for some 
distance up the ridge ; and then, at a preconcerted signal, a 
general discharge from all arms was poured into his culumn, 
which caused it to reel and stagger back in dismay. Our 



196 THF bishop's castle taken. 

men rising in the next instant, from the rocks, charged with 
a shout upon the front and flanks of the foe. The Mexicans 
were unable to resist this sudden and impetuous assault, and 
after a short but inefiectual effort to hold their ground, gave 
way, and, like a loosened cliff, rolled headlong down the 
descent. Few of the fugitives paused to re-enter the castle ; 
but " horse and foot" fled in dire confusion past the work, 
and, as their own historians confess, "penetrated to the inte- 
rior of the city, spreading terror." * 

The Americans pursuing, entered the castle. Its guns, 
together with Duncan's and Mackall's field-batteries, which, 
the road being now open, came up from the valley at a gal- 
lop, were discharged upon the retiring and confused masses 
that filled the avenue leading to the city. About thirty pris- 
oners were taken in the fortress. Lieutenant Ayres of the 3d 
Artillery hauled down the gaudy standard of Mexico ; and 
in the next moment, the unpretending flag of our glorious 
Union floated in triumph from the battlements. As it was 
unfurled by the evening breeze, and the " stripes and stars" 
flashed in the golden rays of declining day, shouts of joy 
burst forth from those who, on the north side of the city, had 
been attentively observing the tragic scenes enacted on the 
bights. Thus terminated on the evening of September 22d, 
the second act of the drama. 

* The enemy committed, in my poor judgment of such matters, an egregious 
blunder in associating some squadrons of horse with the attacking column. The 
practice of mixing small bodies of infantry and cavalry together, is a bad one in 
all places, but especially so in that. Ground more unsuitable for the operations of 
mounted troops, I never beheld. The proud Lancers, it may be, concluded that 
the disgrace and humiliation of defeat could be no greater than that of serving on 
foot. 



THE MEXICAN PRISONERS IN CAMP. 197 

That night I was again on duty. A great number of pris- 
oners, chiefly soldiers, but among them some of the vile 
scum of the chaparral, were in the camp, and had hitherto 
been under a special guard in the center of the grove. In 
consequence of the paucity of our troops, and the number of 
our wounded, it was determined to dispense with this detail, 
and to place the prisoners in charge of the main-guard. It 
was after dark when the order for their removal reached me, 
and it was found necessary to exercise great vigilance to 
frustrate attempts at escape, during their progress through 
the intricate paths and gloomy shades of the wood. On 
arriving at the guard station, and observing a large force 
drawn up under arms, the Mexicans gazed at each other 
with anxiety and alarm ; and some of them, supposing they 
were about to suifer the cruel fate so often inflicted upon 
Texan prisoners by their own troops, broke forth in prayers 
and lamentations.* Our assurances that no harm was 
intended, uttered, it is true, not in the best Castilian, and 
interlarded with a little dog-latin, that seemed quite as com- 
prehensible, allayed their fears, and they all quietly obeyed 
the order to sit down. The jeers of some of their own num- 
ber contributed to the pacification of the most timid. An 
old man, clad in the garb of a citizen, was greatly alarmed, 

* The Mexicans — naturally sanguininry, and debased by merciless civil wars — 
in their fillul efibrts to subdue the revolted province of Texas, were strangely, 
madly, blind to the policy of humanity. They commenced the campaign of 1836, 
under a special act of the Mexican Congress, which provided that no prisoners 
should be taken. Yet they did accept prisoners of war, but only to violate the 
express terms of capitulation, and every sentiment of honor and justice, by mur- 
dering them in cold blood. The slaughter of Alamo, the massacre of Colonel 
Fanning's command at Goliad, and the decimation of the Mier captives, were act 
wholly unjustifiable, and which deserve to be held up to eternal execration. 
9* 



198 THE MEXICANS ABANDON EL DIABOLO. 

and would have embraced my knees. He supplicated loudly 
for his release, declaring that he was not an enemy of the 
Americans, and had been captured while pursuing a journey 
of business. A promise that his case should be looked to 
as soon as soon as leisure permitted, and a tender of some 
little comforts due to his gray hairs and misfortunes, elicited 
from him muclios gracias. 

Early on the morning of Wednesday, September 23d, it 
was discovered by General Quitman's brigade occupying the 
Teneria, that the enemy had, during the night, evacuated 
fort Diabolo, and abandoned all their exterior works on the 
north, except the citadel.* General Taylor immediately 
ordered the troops to advance cautiously, and the batteries to 



* The following account of llie abandonment of these works is given by the 
Mexican historian, in the " Notes :" 

"This unlucky event, the loss of the Bishop's Castle, infused a silent fear which 
comes before defeat. With few exceptions, the officers of corps felt this ; and it 
infected the General-in-chief himself, who was not endowed with dispatch and 
energy. The possessors and disseminators of these sentiments, we are acquainted 
with, but whose names, from shame, we hastily dismiss. 

" An order was sent to concentrate the army in the interior line, by abandoning 
all the works more advanced at the north, east, and west; and slill preserving the 
citadel and a few works to the south on the bank of the river. These dispositions 
were executed at eleven at night, in the midst of a noisy confusion arising from 
the troops refusing to abandon their positions without fighting. The grumbling and 
discontented showed themselves openly, and the military morale suffering by it in 
a manner beyond description. On the commencement of the 23d, it was discov- 
ered that the enemy's column, attacking from the west, had occupied the Quinta 
de Arista, Campo Santo, and other contiguous positions. At the points we had 
abandoned in the night, in the midst of frightful disorder, some drunken soldiers 
still remained, discharging their pieces in the air, committing excesses, and giving 
a clear idea of the want of concert that prevailed. General Ampudia now issued 
from the cathedral, where he had remained during the action, and repaired to the 
defenses. The azoteas were topped with sacks, and various houses pierced for 
musketry. At ten in the morning, the enemy occupied the posts we had deserted, 
and at eleven invested with firmness, generalizing their fire, which grew warm, to 
the very houses on the principal plaza." 



THE FIGHT IN THE CITY. 199 

open a fire upon the central parts of the town. Colonel 
Wood's regiment of Eangers dismounted, and joined the 
attacking party. They were excellent marksmen, and their 
equipments were most suitable for the work in hand. The 
Americans, no longer annoyed by the Mexican artillery, 
seized upon the nearest houses, and mounting to the roofs or 
breaking through walls, slowly forced their way toward the 
heart of the beleaguered city. They were soon engaged, 
and now upon more equal terms, in a desperate conflict with 
the defenders. House after house, and square after square, 
were wrested from them. The Mexicans fought in sullen 
silence, while our men, assured of victory, made the welkin 
ring with their cheers. * 

In the meantime. General Worth, supposing from the 
heavy fire on our side of the town, that General Taylor was 
conducting a main assault, and that orders for his co-opera- 
tion, having to travel a circuit of several miles, had miscar- 
ried, organized two column of attack, and descending from 
the Obispado, launched his steady and enthusiastic battalions 
once more upon the foe. Bragg's and Ridgely's light artil- 
lery were brought in on the east side, and Duncan's and 
Mackall's on the west side of the city. Sections of these 
batteries thundered simultaneously through the principal 
streets, advancing after every discharge. The enjmy thus 
pressed between two fires, slowly retired, defending every 
wall and house-top with the heroic fortitude that has charac- 
terized their race in resisting sieges. Soon after midday, as 
if by mutual consent, both parties took a short breathing- 
spell, and a deathlike stillness pervaded the streets, which 



200 THE FIGHT IN THE CITY. 

a few moments before had resounded with the wild tumult of 
war. For about an hour the din of battle and fierce shouts 
of the combatants were hushed, and then were with greater 
violence renewed. The Mexicans, soldiers and citizens, ani- 
mated with the energy of despair, boldly ascended to the 
azoteas^ where, armed with heavy old English muskets, they 
were no match for our dextrous riflemen. If, as I am inclined 
to believe, our loss was greater than that of the enemy on 
the first day of the battle, the account was more than bal- 
anced on the third. The Americans being now as well shel- 
tered as the Mexicans, took a more deliberate aim than when 
exposed in open ground to the fire of artillery. They availed 
themselves in this singular combat, waged as it were, in mid- 
air, of every possible stratagem to deceive or provoke the 
enemy into committing some fatal blunder or exposure. The 
Mexican who dared to show himself above the parapets chal- 
lenged certain death. From every angle and aperture they 
showered their balls upon the enemy ; and even the spouts, 
which in Mexican houses resemble the scuppers of a ship, 
poured forth streams of fire. Ampudia's troops continued to 
yield before the valor of our intrepid men. The Texans, 
whom the sight of a Mexican always inflamed to madness, 
were conspicuous and furious in their assaults. Driven back 
by inches, the enemy at nightfall found himself confined to 
the vicinity of the grand plaza, which had been barricaded 
for a final and desperate resistance. 

In some of the newspaper narratives of the battle of the 
23d, the women of Monterey are represented as actively par- 
ticipating in the defense, and hence the pen of fiction has 



NIGHT OF THE TWENTY-THIRD. 201 

already interwoven many tender love scenes in the siege. 
But the only account of female heroism exhibited there, 
which possesses any claim to authenticity, may be found in 
the subjoined passage from the Mexican history to which we 
have previously had occasion to refer.* 

In the afternoon of the 23d, General Quitman's brigade 
was relieved by that of General Hamer. Night once more 
compelled the contending forces to seek a respite from their 
sanguinary labors, and General Taylor now prepared to con- 
cert measures with Worth for a combined attack on the Plaza 
the next morning. The opposing troops lay so near to each 
other during the night, 

" That the fixed sentinels almost received 
The secret whispers of each other's watch." 

Scattered through the streets and on the house-tops were the 
cold and bloody corpses of those killed during the day, 
while the gardens of the suburbs were ".reeking with the 
smell of death." The mangled remains of those slain on 
the 21st, unburied and moldering where they had fallen, 
tainted the night air and threatened a pestilence. A few of 
our men, too, who had been wounded on the first day of the 
battle, were, as we subsequently discovered, still lying there. 



* " At this time, sublime as the heroines of Sparta and of Rome, and beautiful 
as the tutelar deities of Grecian sculpture, the Senorita Dona Maria Josefa Zozaya, 
in the house of Senor Garza Flores, presented herself among the soldiers who 
fought on the azotea, to give them food and ammunition, and to teach them how 
to despise danger. 

" The beauty and rank of this young lady communicated netv attractions, and it 
was requisite to conquer to admire her, or to perish before her eyes to be made 
worthy of smiles. She was a lovely personation of the country itself. She was 
the beau ideal of heroism in all her movements, and with all her tender fascina- 
tions." 



202 THE BOMBARDMENT AT NIGHT, 

suffering agonies, their tongues swollen with thirst, and their 
gashed and festering flesh devoured by worms. Among 
these dead "bodies and helpless, wounded men, now prowled 
the fierce, ravening wolves of the chaparral, tearing some, 
limb from limb, and perhaps lapping the warm blood of others 
" ci'e life be parted." 

The mortar, which had proved so inefiicient on the north 
side of the city, had been cent around to General Worth, and 
now, from the vicinity of the Campo Santo, played with no 
trifling effect upon the enemy crowded in the plaza mayor. 
Many of us had never before witnessed the operation of shell- 
iirino- at night, and found it a most interesting pyrotechnic 
exhibition ; especially upon this occasion, when the excite- 
ment it produced within the enemy's lines assured us (as a 
brother oflicer, who lay on the ground at my side, remarked) 
that General Don Pedro de Ampudia was about " to cave." 
The first few bombs that were discharged, exploded high in 
the air, revealmg the whole shadowy outline of the city and 
mountains in a ghastly glare that was quickly swallowed up 
in darkness. A slight increase of the projecting charge 
deposited them in the Grand Plaza, with an explosion that 
shook the city, and a blaze that for an instant obscured the 
stars, and caused the heavens to blush upon the scene. The 
service of this battery during the night was admirably 
managed by Major Munroe, and exercised a decided influ- 
ence upon the final result. It is a noticeable fact, that 
Ampudia's proposal to evacuate the city, is dated within an 
hour after the mortar opened its fire. And there can be no 
question but that the same proposition would have been 



AMPUDIA PROPOSES TO CAPITULATE. 203 

made early on the first day of the battle had we possessed 
guns of sufficient weight to reach the city from any point 
without the enemy's lines. 

Thursday morning, September 24th, we were early on foot, 
and waited but for the dawn to renew the assault. About 3 
o'clock, A. M., a bugle sounded the parley in front of the 
position held by our brigade, and soon afterward a small 
party under cover of a flag of truce was discerned advancing 
down the street. It proved to be Colonel Morino, of General 
Ampudia's stafi", whose sad countenance at once explained to 
all the object of his mission. He bore from his commanding- 
general to General Taylor a proposition to surrender the 
town, which, together with Taylor's reply, is subjoined.* 



* Copies of the notes of Generals Anipudia and Taylor preliminary to the capitu- 
lation of Monterey. 

'"'' Head- Quarters, Monterey, 
" September 23, 184G ; 9 o'cluek at night. 

"General : As I have made all the defense of which I believe this city capable, 
I have fultilied my obligation, and done all required by that military honor which, 
to a certain degree, is common to all the armies of the civilized world, and as a 
continuation of the defense would only bring upon the population distresses to 
which they have already been sufficiently subjected by the evils consequent upon 
war, and believing that the American government will appreciate these sentiments, 
I propose to your Excellency to evacuate the city and citadel, taking with me the 
personnel and material of war which is left, and under the assurance that no prose- 
cution shall be undertaken against the citizens who have taken part in the defense. 
Be pleased to accept the assurance of my most distinguished consideration. 

" PjiDRO DE AmPUDIA. 

" Senor Don Z. Taylor, General-in-chief of the American Army." 

" Head- Quarters, Camp before Monterey, 
" September 24, 1846 ; 7 o'clock, A. M. 
" Sir : Your communication bearing date at 9 o'clock, P. M., on the 23d, has just 
been received by the hands of Colonel Morino. In answer to your propo.4tion to 
evacuate the city and fort with all the personnel and material of war, I have to 
state that my duty compels me to to decline acceding to it. A complete surrender 
of the town and garrison, the latter as prisoners of war, is now demanded. But 
such surrender will be upon terms, a-ni the gallant defense of the place, creditable 



204 THE FIKING CEASES. 

The Colonel was introduced to General Hamer, who imme- 
diately provided him with an escort to head-quarters at San 
Domingo. I was with Hamer at the reception of Marino, 
and was surprised as well as pleased at the assumed indiffer- 
ence and tranquility maintained by all who were within ear- 
shot when he announced his business, though we were no 
sooner relieved of his presence than congratulations were 
joyfully exchanged. 

A cessation of fire was agreed upon, while commissioners 
arranged the terms of capitulation, and we set about getting 
breakfast in the captured Forts Teneria and Diabolo. We 
were usually pretty well provided with provisions of some 
sort, but it must be confessed that the table of the St. Charles, 
in New Orleans, was rather better than ours on that particular 
morning. A tin cup full of a thick liquid facetiously called 
coffee, and made from the berry of that name, slightly 
bruised with the butt of a musket, a slap-jack, weighing a 
quarter of a pound to the square inch, and a crawfish, which 
had that morning been dashed upon the wall of the Teneria 
by the explosion of a shell in the ditch, constituted my 
repast. But the stomach of the soldier is not often dainty, 
and the appetite, which for some days past had been scarcely 

alike to the Mexican troops and nation, will prompt me to make those terms ^s 
liberal as possible. The garrison will be allowed, at your option, alter laying 
down its arms, to retire to the interior, on condition of not serving again during the 
war, or until regularly exchanged. I need hardly say that the rights of non-com- 
batants will be respected. An answer to this communication is required by 12 
o'clock. If you assent to an accommodation, an ofiicer will be despatched at once, 
under instructions to arrange the conditions. I am sir, very respectfully your 
obedient servant. 

" Z. Taylor, Major-General U. S. A., commanding. 
"Senor Don Pedko Ampudia, General-in-chief, Monterey." 



AKTICLES OF CAPITULATIOlJ. 205 

felt in the rage of stronger passions, now returned with such 
strength, that we could have fallen upon w^hatever was 
ofiered, like " a priest, a shark, an alderman, or pike." 
The sounds of merriment that broke from the men as they 
gathered around the camp-kettles for breakfast, proclaimed 
the joy they felt at the prospect of a termination of the siege. 
A remarkabl}^ ^i^^ppy looking mess were observed sitting on 
the body of a dead mule, and talking, laughing, and sipping 
their cofi'ee with evident gusto ; occasionally placing their 
cups upon the animal's bloated side, while they helped them- 
selves to the contents of a pan that simmered over a neigh- 
boring fire. After breakfast, fatigue parties were sent out 
to bury the dead. While engaged in that painful duty, they 
happily discovered a few men who had been . wounded three 
days previous, and who were so much reduced by hunger, 
suffering, and the loss of blood, that their comrades could 
scarcely recognize them. 

A long negotiation, lasting until late in the night of the 
24:th, resulted in the following 

"articles of capitulation." 

Article 1, As the legitimate result of the operations before 
this place, and the present position of the contending armies, 
it is agreed that the city, the fortifications, cannon, the muni- 
tions of war, and all other public property, with the under- 
mentioned exceptions, be surrendered to the commanding 
general of the United States forces now in Monterey. 

Art. 2. That the Mexican forces be allowed to retain the 
following arms, to wit : the commissioned officers their side- 
10 



206 ARTICLES OF CAPITULATION. 

arms, the infantry their arms and accouterments, the cavalry 
their arms and accouterments, the artillery one field battery, 
not to exceed six pieces, with twenty-one rounds of ammuni- 
tion. 

Art. 8. That the Mexican armed forces retire, within 
seven days from this date, beyond the line formed by the 
pass of the Einconada, the city of Linares, and San Fernando 
de Presas. 

Art. 4. That the citadel of Monterey be evacuated by the 
Mexican, and occupied by the American forces to-morrow 
morning at ten o'clock. 

Art. 5. To avoid collisions, and for mutual convenience, 
that the troops of the United States will not occupy the city 
nntil the Mexican forces have withdrawn, except for hospital 
and storage purposes. 

Art. 6. That the forces of the United States will not 
advance beyond the line specified in the 3d article before the 
expiration of eight weeks, or until the orders or instructions 
of the respective governments can be received. 

Art. 7. That the public property to be delivered shall be 
turned over and received by officers appointed by the com- 
manding generals of the two armies. 

Art. 8. That all doubts as to the meaning of any of the pre- 
ceding articles shall be solved by an equitable construction, 
and on principles of liberality to the retiring army. 



THE NEGOTIATIONS. 207 

Art. 9. That the Mexican flag, when struck at the citadel, 
may be saluted by its own battery. 

Done at Monterey, September 24, 184G. 

^W. J. Worth, 
J. P. Henderson, 
i^Jeff. Davis. 

TT. Raquena. 
Commissioners on the part of Mexico, I Ortega, 



Commissioners on the part of the 
United States, 



l^M. M. Llano. 



Approved by 



Z. Taylor, 
P. Ampldia. 



It will be seen that the terms granted the Mexican gar- 
rison were less rigorous than those first imposed by General 
Taylor. But the gallant defense of the town, and the fact of 
a recent change of government in Mexico, (the restoration of 
Santa Anna,) believed to be favorable to the interests of 
peace, induced the commission to concur in these articles, 
especially that for the temporary cessation of hostilities. It 
was said that our straight-forward old general, vexed by the 
caviling and arrogant demands of Ampudia's commissioners, 
Vv^as more than once about to break up the conference, and 
" let the tongue of war again plead for our interest." The 
camp was full of rumors of what took place in the council- 
chamber ; among others, that General Taylor had at first 
peremptorily refused to allow the Mexicans to take off any 
artillery, declaring that he held the town, as if it was an 
orange in his hand, and that he would squeeze it to a pulp 
if terms more in accordance with the condition of afiairs 



208 TATLOK VINDICATES THE TERMS OF THE CAPITULATION. 

were not speedily agreed upon. That thereupon the Mexican 
chief of artillery successfully appealed to the generosity and 
magnanimity of the stern old soldier, stating that arms and 
accouterments had been conceded to the infantry and cavalry, 
and declaring that he would rather die at his guns than see 
the artillery alone disgraced, by being compelled to march 
out without a single light battery. Certainly the capitula- 
tion was sufficiently honorable to our arms, and humiliating 
to the foe. Many mustang heroes and militia generals, both 
in and out of Congress, and even the Cabinet of Mr. Polk, 
have condemned General Taylor for acceding to it, — one of 
the most humane and politic strokes of war that distinguished 
the campaign. By its terms we gained all that could have 
been acquired from a further assault, save more blood, and a 
repetition of those horrors from which I have not attempted 
to raise the vail. It is one of the maxims of Napoleon, that 
" the keys of a fortress are well worth the retirement of the 
garrison, when it is resolved to yield only on those condi- 
tions. On this principle it is always wiser to grant an 
honorable capitulation to a garrison M'hich has made a vigor- 
ous resistance, than to risk an assault." But no more ample 
and satisfactory vindication of the convention can be desired, 
than that contained in the following letter of General Taylor, 
written in reply to the strictures of the Secretary of War, 
and to which the attention of the reader is earnestly invited. 

Head- Quarters^ Army of Occupation^ 
Camp near Monterey^ Novemher 8, 1846. 
Sir : In reply to so much of the communication of the 
Secretary of War, dated October 13th, as relates to the 



Taylor's vindication. 209 

reasons which induced the convention resulting in the capitu- 
lation of Monterey, I have the honor to submit the following 
remarks : 

The convention presents two distinct points : First. The 
permission granted the Mexican army to retire with their 
arms, etc. Second. The temporary cessation of hostilities 
for the term of eight weeks. I shall remark on these in order. 

The force with which I advanced on Monterey was limited, 
by causes beyond my control, to about 6000 men. With this 
force, as every military man must admit who has seen the 
ground, it was entirely impossible to invest Monterey so 
closely as to prevent the escape of the garrison. Although 
the main communication with the interior was in our pos- 
session, yet one route was open to the Mexicans throughout 
the operations, and could not be closed, as were also other 
minor tracks and passes through the mountains. Had we, 
therefore, insisted on more rigorous terms than those granted, 
the result would have been the escape of the body of the 
Mexican force, with the destruction of its artillery and maga- 
zines ; our only advantage being the capture of a few prison- 
ers of war, at the expense of valuable lives, and much 
damage to the city. The consideration of humanity was 
present to my mind during the conference which led to the 
convention, and outweighed in my judgment the doubtful 
advantages to be gained by a resumption of the attack upon 
the town. This conclusion has been fully confirmed by an 
inspection of the enemy's position and means, since the sur- 
render. It was discovered that his principal magazine, con- 
taining an immense amount of powder, was in the cathedral. 



210 Taylor's vindication. 

and completely exposed to our shells from two directions. 
The explosion of this mass of powder, which must have 
ultimately resulted from a continuance of the bombardipent, 
would have been infinitely disastrous, involving the destruc- 
tion not only of the Mexican troops, but of non-combatants, 
and even our own people, had we pressed the attack. 

In regard to the temporary cessation of hostilities, the fact 
that we are not at this moment, within eleven days of the ter- 
mination of the period fixed by the convention, prepared to 
move forward in force, is a sufficient explanation of the mili- 
tary reasons which dictated this suspension of arms. It para- 
lyzed the enemy during a period when, from the want of 
necessary means, we could not possibly move. I desire dis- 
tinctly to state, and to call the attention of the authorities to 
the fact, that with all diligence in breaking mules and set- 
ting up wagons, the first w^agons in addition to our original 
trains from Corpus Christi, (and but 125 in number,) reached 
my head -quarters on the same day with the Secretary's com- 
munication of October 13th, viz: the 2d inst. At the date 
of the surrender of Monterey our force had not more than 
ten days' rations, and even now, with all our endeavors, we 
have not more than twenty-five. The task of fighting and 
beating the enemy is among the least difficult that we encoun- 
ter ; the great question of supplies necessarily controls all 
the operations in a country like this. At the date of the 
convention I could not, of course, have forseen that the 
department would direct an important detachment from my 
command without consulting me, or without waiting the 
result of the main operation under my orders. 



Taylor's vindication. 211 

I have touched the prominent military points involved in 
the convention of Monterey. There were other considera- 
tions which weighed with the commissioners in framing, and 
with myself in approving, the articles of the convention. 
In the conference with General Ampudia, I was distinctly 
told by him that he had invited it to spare the farther effusion 
of blood, and because General Santa Anna had declared him- 
sell" favorable to peace. I knew that our government had 
made propositions to that of Mexico to negotiate, and I 
deemed that the change of government in this country since 
my last instructions, fully warranted me in entertaining con- 
siderations of policy. My grand motive in moving forward 
with very limited supplies had been to increase the induce- 
ments of the Mexican government to negotiate for peace. 

Whatever may be the actual views of the Mexican rulers, 
or of General Santa Anna, it is not tmhiown to the govern- 
ment that I had the very hest reasons for believing the staie- 
Tnent of General Ampudia to he true. It was my opinion 
at the time of the convention, and it has not been changed, 
that the liberal treatment of the Mexican army, and the sus- 
pension of arms, would exert none but a favorable influence 
in our behalf. 

The result of the entire operation has been to throw the 
Mexican army back more than 300 miles, to the city of San 
Luis de Potosi, and to open the country to us, if we choose to 
penetrate it, up to the same point. 

It has been my purpose in this communication, not so 
much to defend the convention from the censure which I 
deeply regret to find implied in the Secretary's letter, as to 



212 THE MALCONTENTS. 

show that it was not adopted without cogent reasons, most of 
which occur of themselves to the minds of all who are 
acquainted with the condition of things here. To that end I 
beg that it may be laid before the General-in-chief and the 
Secretary of "War. 

I am, sir, very respectfully your obedient servant. 

Z. Taylok, Major General U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General, Washington. 

The fault-finders in our army w^ere chiefly Texans. On 
the night of the 23d of September they had obtained pos- 
session of the highest houses in the vicinity of the great 
plaza, and, unsated with slaughter, they but waited for the 
morning to avenge signally the hoarded wrongs suffered 
during their long war for independence. The capitulation . 
on the 24th, of course, disappointed all their sweet and long 
cherished hopes of vengeance. Fortunately for the Mexican 
population the American General knew how to crown a 
triumph with mercy. It appears from the Mexican " History 
of the War," that some of the enemy were equally dissatis- 
fied with the finale of the siege, and, it must be admitted, 
w^ith better reason.* Both parties of malcontents, however, 
in complaining, sin against humanity. 

* " The second interview resulted in the capitulation, in which the commis- 
sioners were the Generals Rnquena, Conde, and Don Manuel Maria del Llano, a 
capitulation which, with cutting irony, was called honorable. This was, that the 
army should retain their arms and baggage, a battery of six pieces, ammunition 
for twenty-four rounds each, one supply of catridges for the boxe?, and the rest of 
the material to be given to the Americans, who agreed on their part not to pass 
the line of the Muertos, Linares, and Victoria, for two months, in which time 
efforts would be diligently made to accomplish a peace. 

" On the 25th, at eleven o'clock, our troops evacuated the citadel, in front of a 



THE CITY EVACUATED BY THE MEXICANS. 213 

During the protracted conference of the 24:th, and indeed 
until the morning of the 25th, we remained under arms. 
Pending the negotiation, many citizens came over to our 
lines, and offered themselves as prisoners of war. We 
declined to be troubled with them, and they joyfully scat- 
tered through the surrounding country, as glad, apparently, 
to leave the city as we were to enter it. Large parties of all 
ages passed quietly under our guns in the direction of Gaude- 
loupe, a picturesque village that showed its scattered roofs in 
the valley before the city, on the road to Victoria. Others 
fording the river behind the town, escaped into the rugged 
fastnesses of the Sierra. On the 25th, we took possession of 
the citadel, and became masters of the city. A large quan- 
tity of ammunition, upward of forty pieces of artillery, and 
a considerable amount of tobacco, clothing, and other public 
stores fell into our hands. Thus within a week after our 
arrival before Monterey, the more numerous Mexican army 
had been forced into a disgraceful capitulation, and driven 
beyond the Sierra Madre, north of which no standard now 
floated but that of the United States. 



column of the enemy, commanded by General Smith. Our forces struck their flag, 
a salute sounded from the ordnance, and our banner fell degraded. The victors 
took possession of the fortress, and in hoisting their standard hailed it with hurras 
of delight, while we were overwhelmed with humiliation and grief. Our forces 
were lodged in the eastern part of the city, not having saved more than their per- 
Eonal eflects and six pieces of artillery. 

" Thus terminated the defense of Monterey. The simple relation of events will 
excuse us from all commentary. The judgment of the sensible part of the nation 
will approve this course. * * * * Our generals, with the exception of those 
wo have honorably mentioned, suffered in the contempt of their enemies a severe 
chastisement, probably deserved. When the difficulties ol a cotcmporary de- 
scription are removed, the impartial pen of the historian, referring to these trans- 
actions, will reveal some names to infamy."— iVbtes /or the History of the War. 



214 THE APPEARANCE OF OUR ARMY. 

A large number of the inhabitants, including nearly all 
the most respectable citizens, retired with the army, scowling 
hatred and defiance on us as they marched out. The Mex- 
ican historian says — "When the inhabitants of Monterey 
saw the last of our army depart, they could not resolve to 
remain among the enemy, and many of them abandoning 
their houses and business, carrying their children, and fol- 
lowed by their wives, traveled on foot behind the troops. 
Monterey was converted into a vast cemetery. The unburied 
heaps, the dead and putrid mules, the silence of the streets, 
all gave a fearful aspect to the city." The people who 
lingered behind were, at first, exceedingly sullen and shy, 
certain " gentlemen in black," having inflamed their minds 
against us •■' outside barbarians," representing the volunteers 
as the scum of the United States, and destitute both of honor 
and courage. 

And in sooth, the spectacle that some of us presented on 
entering the city was not very well calculated to undeceive 
them, though I believe we had the advantage of Falstaff's 
army, and could, perhaps, boast more than " a shirt and a 
half" to each company. But our jackets looked exceedingly 
shabby, and a pair of whole trowsers was a rarity. Our 
beards and hair too, had grown to a great length, so that our 
personal appearance must have been rather savage and gro- 
tesque. Some of the Monterey people, in their letters to 
the newspapers of the interior cities, described us as " a set 
of ragged vagabonds, nearly resembling the Camanche 
Indians, in manners, ferocity, and appearance." Compli- 
mentary, certainly ! But may we not be permitted to write 



AMPUDIA S PKOCLAMATION. 215 

beneath this portrait, thus drawn by the pencils of our ene- 
mies, the words of Henry Y. to the French herald on the 
field of Agincourt : 

" We are but warriors for the working day ; 
Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirched 
With rainy marching in the painful field ; 
There's not a piece of feather in our host, 
(Good argument, I hope, we shall not fly,) 
And time hath worn us into slovenry : 
But, by the mass, our hearts are in the trim." 

In connection with the subject of this chapter, the truly, 
and therefore truthless, Mexican proclamation, issued by 
General Ampudia, after his arrival at Saltillo, is subjoined.* 

* " Thl General commandin& the Army of the North, to 
THE People of the three departments, Tamaulipas, New Leon, and Coahuila. 

'•''Fellow- Citizens: Occupied, before all things, in providing for the defense of the 
rights and integrity of the territory of our beloved Republic against the < nemy who 
has invaded her soil, the supreme government thought proper to intrust to me the 
command of the patriotic troops destined, on the northern irontier, to this holy pur- 
pose. 1 accepted with enthusiasm the post assigned me, (lor the zeal with which I 
have ever defended the holy cause of the people, is notorious to every one,) and in 
the beginning of the month assumed the direction of such means as were within 
my power to repel the advance of the enemy. But fearing that the charge would 
prove too great tor my feeble abilities, I solicited the worthy and most excellent 
i3enor, General Don Juan Neponuceno Almonte, to come and relieve me from the 
command of the army, presuming that the illustrious conqueror of Panuco would, 
on his return to Mexico, resume the reins of our National Government. 

On the 19th inst., the enemy having appeared in the vicinity of Monterey, and 
encamped in the San Domingo wood — their camp being one league in length, and 
three leagues in circiimference— I ordered their movements to be carefully observed, 
and hostilities to be commenced forthwith, the generals under my command being 
all decided to risk, a battle rather than retreat. The redoubts of the citadel opened 
their fires the same day upon the enemy, who were occupied, during that and the 
succeeding day, in reconnoitering and preparing for the attack. 

On the 21st, the assault was made by a formidable body of their troops, chiefly of 
the regular army, upon our redoubts of the Teneria, the Rincon del Diabolo, and 
the bridge of the Purisima, but they were gloriously repulsed by our valiant veter- 
ans, with a positive loss to our adversaries oi Jifleen hundred men. 

On the morning of the 22d, General Taylor directed his columns of attack against 
the Bishop's Hill, an elevation commanding the city; and although in their first 
advance they were repulsed in a skirmish, a full brigade of regular troops returned 



216 SANTA anna's VEXATION. 

That farrago of vanity, deceit, sycophancy, bombast, and 
falsehood, does not accord very well with his actions during 
the battle, or his words at the subsequent conference. The 
reader will not fail to remark how lightly the veracious 
Pedro treats his recent defeat, and how obsequiously he 
endeavors to propitiate "the worthy and most excellent 
Senor, Don Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna," whom the rev- 
olution of August had recently recalled from exile, and 
re-established in power. That distinguished Mexican, dis- 
appointing the hopes of those who permitted him to land at 
Vera Cruz, had placed himself at the head of the war party, 
and was then engaged in organizing a grand army at San 
Louis Potosi, which he proposed marching to the north. 
We are informed that, "irritated by the news of the fall of 

to the charge. Unfortunately, two pieces of cannon and a mortar, which defended 
the position, got out of order, and became useless, and although as soon as advised 
of it, I sent a reinforcement, it reached the hill too late ; the enemy had already 
succeeded in obtaining possession of the castle. This accident compelled me to 
concentrate my force in the Plaza, in order to present to the foe a more vigorous 
defense, and to repel on the 22d, as was done, the assaults made by them through 
the streets and houses of the city. But, as under the circumstances, I suffered 
great scarcity of ammunition, and in spite of the ardor with which the entire army, 
both regulars and auxiliaries, were animated, I proposed to the American General 
a parley, which resulted in an understanding by which the honor of the nation and 
the army, the personnel, aims, and equipments were preserved. 

This is a true statement of the operations of the campaign up to the 24th inst; 
and if an inadequate supply of means, and other circumstances, have led to this 
result, we have not yet cause for a moment's dismay, for the Republic will now put 
forward all her elements ot greatness, and with one single victory, which we may, 
shall, and must obtain, will solve the problem detinitely in favor of our arms. 

People of the east ! the event which occurred at Monterey, is of little moment. 
The favorite general of the Mexicans, the worthy and most excellent Senor, Don 
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, will promptly take charge in person of the direction 
of the campaign. Let the sacred fire of patriotism continue to burn in your bo- 
soms, and without fail we will triumph over our enemies. 

Pedro de Ampudia. 

Head-Quarters, Saltillo, September 29, 1846. 



COMPARED WITH BUENA VISTA. 217 

Monterey, he determined to chastise those who had not 
known how to profit by the defenses of the place and the 
enthusiasm of the troops." Upon the arrival of Ampudia 
at his head-quarters, he immediately sent that general before 
a court-martial. As often happens in such cases, Pedro 
endeavored to throw the responsibility upon subordinate offi- 
cers. However, Santa Anna soon decided that there were 
no grounds for a prosecution, and published orders vindi- 
cating the accused. A wise conclusion this, most excel- 
lent Antonio ! For if to be beaten by inferior numbers 
was of itself to constitute a sufficient cause for the trial of 
Mexican officers, none of the enemy's generals, not even 
" the illustrious conquerer of Panuco," would eventually 
have escaped the operation of the precedent. 

The following congratulatory order appropriately closes 
the narrative of the battle of Monterey ; a conflict of arms 
especially interesting to the country, as the first of the war 
in which its citizen soldiers participated. The victory of 
Buena Yista is commonly regarded as the most brilliant, not 
only of the campaign, but of the war. Yet it may well be 
questioned whether it reflects more luster upon American 
arms than that of Monterey. True, there was a more fear- 
ful array of numbers ranged under Santa Anna's banners ; 
but were his 20,000 as formidable to volunteers, as Ampu- 
dia's 10,000 behind the w^alls and guns of Monterey ? At 
Buena Vista too, be it remembered, we had a fair field for 
our superb batteries of horse-artillery; any one of which 
was an overmatch for a brigade of Mexican troops, as wit- 
ness the digraceful route of General Minon's brigade by the 
two pieces under Lieutenants Shover and Donaldson. 



218 tayloe's congratulatoky okdek. 

Orders ) Head- Quarters, Army of Oceupation, 

No. 123 J Ca7np near Monterey, September 27, 1846. 

The commanding general has the satisfaction to congratu- 
late the army under his command upon another signal tri- 
umph over the Mexican forces. Superior to us in numbers, 
strongly fortified, and with an immense preponderance of 
artillery, they have yet been driven from point to point, 
until forced to sue for terms of capitulation. Such terms 
have been granted as were considered due to the gallant 
defense of the town, and to the liberal policy of our own 
government. 

The general begs to return his thanks to his commanders, 
and to all his officers and men, both of the regular and vol- 
unteer forces, for the skill, the courage, and the perseverance 
with which they have overcome manifold difficulties, and 
finally achieved a victory, shedding luster upon the American 
arms. 

A great result has been obtained, but not without the loss 
of many gallant and accomplished officers, and brave men. 
The army and the country will deeply sympathize with the 
families and friends of those who have thus sealed their 
devotion with their lives. 

By order of Major General Taylor, 

W. W. S. Bliss, 
Assistant Adjutant General. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The army at San Domingo. — Texan Rangers discharged. — The wounded sent 
home. — A new camp established — Discipline of the 1st Ohio Rcaiment of Vol- 
unteers. — Lights and shadows of camp lite.— Our Commissariat and the Meat 
Biscuit. — The "spotted tiger'' and "striped pig." — S?avrge spirit of the Mexi- 
cans. — Assassination of Father Rey. — The Sierra Silla. — Scenery hunters in a 
bad case. — A day in Monterey. — Condition of the battle field —Death oi Briga- 
dier General Hamer.— flis character and services. — Military events of the au- 
tumn reviewed. — Saltillo and Tampico abandoned by the enemy. — The Mexi- 
can forces concentrated under General Santa Anna, at San Louis de Potosi. — 
Columns of Generals Kearney and Wool.— Proposition of the American govern- 
ment referred by Santa Anna to the Mexican Congress.— The armistice termin- 
ated.— Worth's division occupy Saltillo.— Twiggs' and Quitman's march to 
Victoria. 

There is no situation that so severely tries the discipline 
of the soldier as a life of inaction in the enemy's country. 
The stimulus to exertion and the dangers attending the pres- 
ence of a hostile force being removed, his thoughts begin to 
fasten themselves on pleasures and dissipations, to which the 
weaknesses and perhaps the manners of the conquered peo- 
ple offer many temptations. Especially is this the case when 
cantoned in a city, or in a camp, like that at San Domingo, 
within a short league of one. Though, as in our regiment, 
every effort be made, by the establishment of a strict system 
of police instructions, by the encouragement to manly exer- 
cises and diversions, and by the promise of extra pay for 
certain important labors not in the line of duty, to employ 
the time and attract the attention of troops, yet will the com- 



220 THE AEMY AT SAN DOMINGO. 

manding officer find it extremely difficult to guard against 
the many troubles of a monotonous existence in camp. The 
lawless character and vicious habits of some men will render 
all orders, threats, or promises, unavailing. 

A better feeling never existed in any corps, than that 
which prevailed in the 1st Ohio regiment after the fall of 
Monterey. Amid the common dangers of the recent battle, 
in which they had well performed their part, the men and 
officers formed new and strong attachments for each other, 
and the majority of them were disposed to be obedient and 
diligent in the discharge of their duties. But there were a 
few turbulent spirits among us, who did not seem to know 
that it was a greater achievement to conquer themselves than 
to take a city; and while they had gallantly periled their 
lives to accomplish the latter, unfortunately could not be pre- 
vailed upon to strive for the former more glorious victory. 
In consequence of the disobedience and dissipation of these, 
during our stay at San Domingo, the first notices of couHs- 
martial were inscribed in our regimental books, while the 
morning reports recorded not only deaths from disease, but 
by assassination and rencounters not strictly military. Such 
sacrifices of life, unrequired by duty and therefore unre- 
warded by fame, did not fail to produce a beneficial efiect, 
by demonstrating the truth of the couplet — 

" Our dangers and delights are near allies, 
From the same stem the rose and prickle rise." 

After the surrender of Monterey, General Worth's divis- 
ion was selected to garrison the city ; a well merited compli- 
ment, and which was but poorly requited by some of the 



THE TEXAN KANGERS DISCHARGED. 221 

over zealous friends of that officer, who boldly claimed for 
him the honor of the victory. The same unhappy dissen- 
sions which afterward broke out so violently in Scott's army 
at the city of Mexico, might have been witnessed at Mon- 
terey, had the commander-in-chief been so unwise as to 
breathe upon these hateful sparks of discord. Taylor pos- 
sessed too frank and generous a nature, and too earnest a 
devotion to the cause of his country, to harbor any petty 
feelings of rivalry or envy in his bosom. 

With the exception of the brigade of mounted troops from 
Texas, who, having expressed a desire to return home, were 
mustered out of service on the first of October, the remainder 
of the army remained with the head-quarters in camp. The 
departure of the Kangers would have caused more reo-ret 
than was generally felt, had it not been for the lawless and 
vindictive spirit some of them had displayed in the week 
that elapsed between the capitulation of the city and their 
discharge. Such deeds as were perpetrated must have 
shocked the chivalric feelings of many in their own brigade, 
since they were calculated not only to dim the luster of our 
victory, but also to take from tiieir own distinguished corps 
" the pith and marrow of its attribute." Gifted Avith the 
intelligence and courage of back-woods hunters, well mounted 
and skilled in arms, they were excellent light troops. Had 
they remained and given their whole attention to the gueril- 
las, they might have been exceedingly useful. The com- 
manding general took occasion to thank them for the efficient 
service they had rendered, and we saw them turn their faces 
toward the blood-bought State they represented, with many 
10* 



222 THE WOUNDED SENT HOME. 

good wishes and the hope that all honest Mexicans were at 
a safe distance from their path. 

Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, our wounded 
men were comfortably lodged in town, and those who were 
disabled from further service, were, as soon as convalescent, 
sent home to be discharged. As an evidence of the spirit 
that animated many of the unfortunate privates, it may be 
mentioned that an Infantry soldier who had lost an arm, 
called on General Taylor and asked permission to remain 
with the army. "J\Iy good fellow," said the general, "you 
are disabled and can do nothing more for your country in 
the field." "O yes," replied the gallant man, "I can work 
with the artillery ! I can carry cartridges and fire a cannon ! " 

The strength of our regiment was much reduced after the 
operations before Monterey. Several ofiicers had resigned 
and a considerable number of soldiers had been discharged 
on account of wounds and sickness. From one of the morn- 
ing reports of November, now before me, I observe that but 
four hundred rank and file are returned "for duty;" and 
this after the remainder of the corps had arrived from Ca- 
margo, where, it may be remarked, thirteen of the number 
left by us, had died after our departure in September. The 
same report records twelve officers " absent with leave," and 
two " absent without leave ; " the latter doubtless having 
remained in town, to make a night of it, at the fonda of 
" Hindoo John." Among the former were the Colonel, 
Lieutenant Colonel, Adjutant, and Surgeon, who had re- 
turned to the United States. The Surgeon went in attend- 
ance upon the Colonel and Adjutant, both severely wounded ; 



A NEW CAMP ESTABLISHED, 223 

though, could the fatal diseases which prevailed in his absence, 
have been foreseen, it is to be supposed that both he and 
they would have insisted upon his remaining with the regi- 
ment. The generous argument with which General Hamer, — • 
who, alas, too soon required for himself all of Dr. Chamber- 
lyn's justly renowned skill, — overruled the only objection 
raised to the Surgeon's leave of absence, is yet fresh in my 
memory. 

But if, when at San Domingo, the regiment was weak in 
numbers, it soon became much more efficient and formidable 
than it ever had been, even than when it landed eight hun- 
dred strong, upon the coast. Soon after the battle, we set 
about establishing a more permanent and orderly camp. The 
ground chosen was on the east side of the grove, and when 
marked off, was covered with an almost impervious thicket 
of thorns and aromatic shrubs. It was convenient to water, 
and most of it well shaded by wide-spreading and venerable 
oaks of extraordinary beauty. Some of the idlers complained 
of the selection in consequence of the labor required to clear 
out the undergrowth. But wg were amply compensated for 
that, in possessing a most comfortable camp. Nor was it a 
work of much fatigue with our force. I well recollect the 
merry day we spent in the peaceful and pleasant labor. It 
was the first of October, and the weather was delicious. No 
" loud war-trumpet woke the morn," but the more pacific 
notes of the "pioneers march" summoned the whole regi- 
ment for fatigue duty. The battalion was formed, not as 
usual, under arms, but under the useful tools of the husband- 
man. Axes and pickaxes, hatchets and spades, gleamed 



224 PARADE-GROUND LAID OUT. 

above the line ; and the hardy men grasped the good old- 
fashioned weapons with many a laugh and lively sally of wit. 
Every officer was in his place, and throughout the day 
labored cheerfully with his command. 

The chaparral falling rapidly beneath the heavy blows of 
an hundred axmen, was immediately drawn off and thrown 
in lofty ridges around the camp, forming thus a dense bar- 
rier that would have proved a very serious obstruction to the 
progress of the enemy, and which, certainly no cavalry could 
have crossed. The spade and pickax-men followed the 
choppers, leveling the surface and removing the stumps and 
stones from the parade-ground. Before night, the entire 
space was cleared and a wonderful transformation accom- 
plished. The roving herdsman who had passed the spot in 
the morning, returned at evening to gaze with astonishment 
on the smooth and charming lawn, that but a few liours be- 
fore had been a tangled thicket, through which he could 
scarcely force his leather-clad body. Even the gay colored 
birds that had reveled among the perfumed bowers just de- 
stroyed, seemed surprised and bewildered by the magical 
metamorphosis, and flew noisily about in quest of their 
favorite retreats. After subdividing the ground and assign- 
ing to each company its position, we returned to our old 
quarters, quite satisfied with the victory of the day ; and 
numbering among our prisoners, sundry tarantulas and scor- 
pions, a brace of armadillos, and a fine specimen of the genus 
Lacerta, which was supposed to be a genuine chameleon. 

On the following morning we moved to our new position, 
and the tents were pitched in the beautiful and compact 



DISCIPLINE OF THE REGIMENT. 225 

order prescribed by the Army Regulations. The soldiers 
who were without tents, constructed wigwams, by hanging 
the long Spanish moss gathered from the trees, upon frames 
of poles, which greatly enhanced the picturesque beauty of 
the encampment. The comfort of the men having thus been 
secured as far as possible, a system of instruction and disci- 
pline was at once established and energetically maintained. 
Experience had already taught us, that if we desired to be 
useful in the active operations of a campaign, we had much 
to learn. The company officers were urged to the fulfillment 
of all their responsible duties, and to encourage their men 
both by precept and example. But few of them failed to aid 
the commander of the regiment in the maintenance of subor- 
dination. It had been supposed that the practice of electing 
officers from the ranks, which prevailed in many, if not in 
all of the volunteer corps, would not be very favorable to 
the attainment of discipline. But whatever may be said of 
those who received their commissions before entering the 
field, the men generally made judicious selections in filling 
the vacancies that afterward occurred. Many of the newly 
elected lieutenants were exceedingly active and trust-worthy 
otficers, and in their new position exhibited qualities which, 
under other circumstances, would perhaps not have been dis- 
covered. There were some, however, who took ])iTi..otion 
simply as the means whereby they hoped to escape viuty and 
promote their own pleasures. These so annoyed their supe- 
rior officers by their pernicious practices, that they would 
gladly have exchanged them for the better men that remained 
in the ranks. 



226 DISCIPLINE OF THE REGIMENT. 

At San Domingo, particular attention was given to guard- 
duty, always so much neglected by young troops, and the 
importance of which is never so well taught as by an enter- 
prising enemy. Pains were taken to instruct the sentinels, 
and to inculcate perfect vigilance, which next to fortitude 
and courage, I take to be the chief qualification of a soldier. 
The regiment was often drilled twice a day, and certain com- 
panies were exercised more frequently. But few of us had 
enjoyed the advantage of a military training, yet with the 
aid of the lucid and admirably-arranged work on Infantry 
Tactics, prepared by General Scott, it was an easy matter for 
any studious officer to acquire a correct knowledge of the 
evolutions announced for each day. From the period of our 
arrival in the country up to that date, a surprise would have 
been fruitful of disaster to our undisciplined corps ; but after 
a few weeks of faithful application, during which the parade- 
ground was daily beaten to dust under the feet of the men, 
we dismissed all apprehensions on that score. There was 
no maneuver in the "school of the battalion," that they 
could not perform with ease, precision and rapidity. They 
could march in line admirably over the roughest ground ; 
while the dispositions against cavalry, by the various forma- 
tions of the square from column or line of battle, were so 
often practiced, that I believe we could have executed them 
with closed eyes or in the darkest night. These exercises 
gave the men confidence in themselves and in each other, by 
showing them of what they were capable. Before the expi- 
ration of three months, they had attained a degree of excel- 
lence that elicited gratifying encomiums from competent 
judges of the old line. 



DISCIPLINE OF THE REGIMENT. 227 

I trust to be excused for recalling as I do, with pleasure 
and satisfaction, but I believe without undue partiality, the 
good discipline of the 1st regiment of Oiiio volunteers. 
Justice to many officers and soldiers demands that I should 
bear this testimony to the industry and perseverance by 
which they succeeded in elevating their corps to a condition 
of efficiency, certainly not excelled by any of the new bat- 
talions. The work was the more creditable to them, in view 
of the shortness of their term of service, and the many evil 
temptations incident to their position. There were some 
regiments that rarely left their tents for military exercises, 
and others that sought only to accomplish a few showy move- 
ments. The commander of one of these appeared solely 
intent upon teaching his men the "fire by battalion." In 
its acquirement, he consumed thousands of cartridges, and 
w^ith his volleys terrified the peaceable people for miles around. 
True, the fire of his regiment was universally admitted to be 
perfect — there was but one flash and one explosion in his 
line. But, cui honof He was himself an amiable man, 
though somewhat ambitious "to make a noise in the world," 
and his battalion, a capital one lor a funeral escort. 

In the intervals of duty, the soldiers found ample leisure 
for amusement, and dull indeed were the events of the day 
from which they could strike no sparks of fun. Their wild 
pranks often caused the sedate and dignified Mexicans, who 
happened to witness them, to r ke big eyes. Rarely, how- 
ever, did they pass the bounds of decorum, and even upon 
these occasions, the commanding officer, himself no gray- 
beard, would have preferred joining in their sports, to admin- 



228 CAMP SCENES. 

istering the necessary reproof. At night, the camp often pre- 
sented a scene quite as enchanting as any the imagination 
could portray. Tlie open and spacious parade-ground bright- 
ened by the mild radiance of an autumnal moon ; the lofty 
arches of the grove, adorned with waving banners of moss, and 
illuminated by the ruddy glow of many fires ; rows of tents, 
luminous in the dim and shadowy vistas of the wood ; the 
silent sentinels pacing to and fro, their arms now flashing in 
the light, now concealed in the shade; here a group of cheer- 
ful young soldiers, whose bouyant spirits no vicissitudes can 
dampen, laughing over the latest joke, or hatching some 
harmless conspiracy against their comrades ; there, seated 
upon a fallen tree, their bronzed and bearded faces turned 
toward the flames that curl and crackle around its green 
stump, a party of elderly men smoking their pipes and con- 
versing with the gravity of veterans, all combine to make up 
a charming and interesting picture, Some of the Germans 
belonging to the regiment were excellent vocalists, and not 
unfrequently united their manly voices in the grand and 
beautiful songs of their Fatherland ; captivating every ear 
with the W'ild melody of their choral symphonies. There 
were those too, in the ranks who delighted in the Ethiopean 
style of minstrelsy, long popular in the United States, and 
who awoke the echoes of the grove with the untutored, but 
not unpleasing, music of the banjo and the bones. 

But our camp-life at this period was not all couleur de 
rose. Sickness and pain were mingled with our pleasures; 
and death, multiform as the clouds, flitted frequently across 
the checkered scene. Though the mortality was not so 



SICKNESS IN THE CAMP. 229 

appalling as at Camargo, it was much greater than was 
anticipated in view of the season and location of the troops. 
It is true, many lives were lost by intemperate indulgences, 
assassinations, and the accidental discharge of fire-arms, yet 
a legion of deadly diseases lurked in the cool and delightful 
shades of San Domingo. Scarcely a day elapsed that the 
muffled drums of some regiment in tbe wood, did not 
announce the departure of one or more poor fellows to the 
chaparral. The Ohio regiment perhaps suffered as little as 
any in the camp; still our hospital-tent was never unten- 
anted, and Dr. Heigh way, the Assistant Surgeon, was kept 
in full practice. Nor were the x^^x^i* Mexican serfs, who 
dwelt in the surrounding ranchos, altogether exempt from 
sickness. Knowing that medicine and advice would be gra- 
tuitously bestowed by our surgeons, a few of them were 
occasionally to be seen hanging upon the outskirts of the 
pale-faced party that each morning assembled at "the sick 
call." One old lepero, wasted to a shadow by the quartan 
ague, whose entire wardrobe was a dirty blanket and thread* 
bare pantaloons, "a world too wide for his shrunk shank," 
and whose rags and wretchedness obtained for him the name 
of Lazarus, enlisted the sympathies of every beholder. 
Senor Lazarus received not only our pills, but with all the 
polite and profound acknowledgments of his race, deigned 
to accept the crumbs from our not overladed tables. 

But we may not complain of our fare at that period of the 

campaign. A number of the Mexican farmers, inheriting 

the keen Spanish scent for gold, were soon encouraged to 

visit the camp, bringing green corn, pumpkins, poultry, and 

11 



230 LIFE IN THE CAMP. 

some fruits, with which they opened a prosperous traffic. 
At no time indeed did our people want for the common 
necessaries of life ; and there was no one in our regiment 
who will not remember and appreciate the indefatigable 
exertions of its commissary, Captain Stevens. He was 
always prepared to feed the hungiy, and at the right time 
and place, no matter how hurried or long the march. 

While in the wood of San Domingo, most of our compa- 
nies built bake-ovens and succeeded in making excellent 
bread, which we found an agreeable substitute for jpan-de- 
maiz^ slapjacks and ship-biscuit. The last named ration, 
by the way, had also begun to disclose a very suspicions 
meaty flavor, and caused the coffee or liquid in which it was 
usually soaked by those whose teeth were otherwise unequal 
to its mastication, to assimilate vermicelli soup. It will be 
observed therefore that the famous "meat-biscuit," which 
was exhibited by a Texan gentleman at the Wold's Fair in 
London, is nothing so very new under the sun ; and my 
belief is that the invention was suggested to him by a speci- 
men of our army bread. 

As the troops were regularly paid, and with those almighty 
dollars whose talisraanic influence is acknowledged in all 
quarters of the globe, it was within their power to obtain 
many little comforts. To many, however, " the shining mis- 
chief" but furnished the means of indulging the passion for 
gaming, to which soldiers seem peculiarly .addicted, and 
the greatest portion of their pay soon found its way into the 
pockets of the gamblers and adventurers who swarmed, like 
famished harpies, in the track of the army. Every effort 



FIGHTING THE TIGER THE STRIPED PIG. 231 

was made by a few vigilant officers to break up tliese ambu- 
latory " hells," but with indifi'erent success ; as even the sol- 
diers who had been bitten made it a point of honor not to 
reveal the haunts of "the Tigers." Though they changed 
their spots frequently to avoid detection, yet our patrols 
occasionally surprised them in the sequestered recesses of the 
chaparral, and captured considerable sums of money, together 
with blankets, stools, tables, etc ; all of which were confis- 
cated for the benefit of the hospital. 

It was even more difficult to combat the parent of vices, 
drunkenness; and the "striped pig"* proved to be a more 
formidable beast than the "spotted tiger." No Maine 
Liquor Law, no military authority, or moral suasion, could 
restrain the appetite of some old Bacchanalians in the regi- 
ment. A few of them were always taken with fits of piety 
on Sunday, and seldom failed to solicit permission to attend 
divine service at the cathedral in Monterey. Of course, 
being in town, they must needs " go the whole pig ;" and 
on these occasions they generally returned to camp in such a 
state of uproarious excitement, that the officers on duty were 
fain to offer them an asylum with the usual restoratives in 
the guard-tent. Many Americans suifered a severe penalty 
for their indulgences, from the knife or lasso of the Mexican 
bravos. These murders were too often followed by the tacit 

* This singular sobriquet, (the meaning of which it is unnecessary to explain to 
an American reader,) is even more applicable in Mexico than in Massachusetts, 
where, I believe, it originated ; for in the former coMntry , pulque and other intoxi- 
cating liquors are actually kept in hogs' skins. And since the time our Saviour 
caused the swine on the shores of Galilee to be possessed by the devils of Legion, 
we venture to assert that those valuable domestic animals have never been filled 
with more filthy and disgusting spirits. 



232 MUKDEK OF FATHEK EEY. 

enactment of the lex ialionis, nncler which the innocent prob- 
ably sufiered equally with the guilty. These scandalous 
affairs seem to be inseparable from war, and are to be univer- 
sally deplored and condemned. But considering the facts, 
that no contributions were levied upon the natives, and that 
many sacrifices were made to secure their confidence and 
good- will, it is not strange that these bloody deeds should 
have irritated to retaliation. Indeed, it may be considered 
somewhat remarkable, in view of the relative position and 
character of the two races, that these unfortunate occurrences 
were not more frequent. Though the ears of General Tay- 
lor, ever open to the complaints of the people, were often 
assailed with accusations of the volunteers, yet I can recall 
but one outrage of that foul dye, which was not provoked by 
similar conduct on the part of Mexicans. To the lasting 
honor of my own regiment be it recorded, that while several 
of its number were treacherously murdered, it never sought 
fcr blood save upon the battle-field. 

The assassination of the learned and pious Father Rey, 
which occurred about this time, illustrates the indiscriminate 
and implacable hatred of our enemies. One of the soldiers 
of the 1st Ohio regiment, who, at the request of the worthy 
priest, had been relieved from military duty for temporary 
service with him, was killed at the same time. Of course, 
the heathen who could thus "give the flesh of a saint to the 
beasts of the field," would have no mercy for a layman. 
The murderers, perpetrating the deed in the face of open day, 
and on the high road, certainly knew the holy calling of 
their principal victim ; but to be an American was a crime 



FATHER KEY. 233 

that admitted no benefit of clergy. Doubtless also, the ruf- 
fians were confident of obtaining plenary absolution for "the 
deep damnation of his taking ofi"." Father Rey was, I un- 
derstand, a member of the society of Jesuits, — an unpopular 
order in Mexico, — and whether his presence with our army 
was designed to promote the objects of certain statesmen or 
churchmen, or both, is part of the secret history of the war. 
It was hinted by some, that while his ostensible mission was 
to counteract the influence of the Mexican priests and their 
insidious attempts to cause disaffection among our Catholic 
soldiers, his object was to secure, in the progress of events, 
the interests of his order, whose vast estates and possessions 
had been confiscated upon their banishment. 

During the two months we remained in camp near Monte- 
rey, the weather was perfectly dry, and generally of a mean 
and pleasant temperature ; though we occasionally sufiered 
from the Northers which prevail in that latitude between the 
autumnal and spring equinox. To protect ourselves against 
those chilling tempests, which however rarely lasted more 
than two or three days, and to procure timber for the con- 
struction of bomb-proof magazines in the citadel, we were 
compelled to consume a goodly portion of the grove of San 
Domingo, the pride of the province. Beyond that neces- 
sary destruction, I am not aware that the country in the 
vicinity of our army sufiered much from its presence. The 
probability is that it was considerably enriched. Never hav- 
ing entertained the mercenary motives so recklessly imputed 
to them by some opponents of the war, our troops were con- 
tent with the barren laurels of victory. The spoliation of 



234 THE SIEKKA SILLA. 

private property is an odious feature of ocean warfare ; and 
for the abolition of which, it is to be hoped that all civilized 
nations will hasten to unite. It has recently been justly 
denounced as "the vicious relic of a barbarous age," and is 
fostered by a spirit but little better than that of the old Fli- 
bustiers of Barrataria, The only public property, other than 
munitions of war, captured at Monterey, consisted of cigars, 
which were distributed among the troops. Tobacco, it is 
known to most of our readers, is one of the articles monopo- 
lized by the Mexican government, and is a source of very 
large revenue. Its culture is prohibited, except in certain 
districts, and even in those, is restricted to a limited number 
of farmers. The tobacco produced is purchased by the gov- 
ernment at a price barely sufficient to compensate the planter, 
and after being manufactured by public agents is re-sold at 
enormous profits. 

There are some interesting and notable sights in the neigh- 
borhood of Monterey, but which the claims of duty never 
allowed mo time to examine. I was particularly anxious to 
obtain a view of the landscape from the summit of the Sierra 
Silla, and which for extent, beauty, and sublimity, was repre- 
sented as being unsurpassed in the observation of those of our 
people who accomplished the ascent. That lofty mountain is 
seen far and wide over the plains, and in all the long array of 
giant peaks, is the first to challenge the rising sun and the last 
to witness his departure. It wears the usual conical form of 
volcanic mountains, and the curious saddle-shaped depression 
in its top, may have been caused by the falling in of the 
ancient crater. A geological reconnoissance would per- 



A PARTY ON THE SADDLE. '2'dQ 

haps confirm the belief that it is ignigenous, so forcibly sug- 
gested by its appearance. Standing on the east side of Mon- 
terey and a short distance in advance of the Sierra Madrc 
chain, it was scarcely a league from San Domingo. Yet, 
though probably not over five thousand feet in hight, so steep 
and rugged are its sides, that the persons who essayed to climb 
it, were usually absent two days from camp. Some ofiicers 
of our brigade who had made the ascent in a sweltering day 
in November, determined to pass tlie night among the bare 
rocks, on the very pommel of the Saddle ; and from that 
lofty perch, to behold the whole gorgeous panorama of the 
dawn. Before they had been many hours in that situation, one 
of those sudden and not unfrequent commotions in the atmos- 
phere occurred, changing its temperature almost immediately 
from "India's fire to Zembla's frost." A freezing Norther 
swept across the plains and howling up the dark ravines of 
the mountain, broke with the fury of a hurricane upon our 
unprotected adventurers, "With its first breath, all the loose 
articles in their bivouac were carried away ; and it was only 
by prostrating themselves upon the rocks, that the heaviest 
men avoided being borne ofi' by the tempest. It is needless 
to add that the unlucky party, now chilled to the bone, 
awaited the god of day with increased impatience ; not, 
however, that they might see him in the brightness of glory, 
glancing from mountain to mountain, from valley to valley, 
and causing the whole earth to glow with a thousand hues 
in his dazzling flight, but that they might take the "wings 
of the morning," and fly from that bad eminence to our more 
genial camp below. 



236 A VISIT TO MONTEKEY. 

In company with a friend, (who, alas, like many other 
young companions of that period, is now among the dead,) I 
spent a day in riding through Monterey and in examining 
such places as were thought worthy of attention. A brief 
sketch of that visit may not be unacceptable to the reader, 
especially as he has obtained, in the preceding chapter, but a 
distant bird's-eye view of the city. It was more than a 
month after the battle, and the unburied carcasses of horses 
and mnles yet remained in the suburbs. Around these still 
lazily stalked many of the voracious and insatiable vultures, 
which, in anticipation of the banquet, had been observed to 
descend from their mountain eyries to the field of carnage, 
as soon as the last echoes of the combat had died away. We 
entered the city by the road which passes under the eastern 
wall of the citadel. That fortress, and indeed all the minor 
Mexican works, were said to be constructed on scientific 
principles ; and so admirably arranged as a whole system of 
defense, as to strengthen and protect each other. During 
the battle, the citadel was commanded by Colonel Uraga, 
who, I am forced to believe, tacitly permitted, if he did not 
actually authorize, the slaughter of several volunteers cap- 
tured near his position on the 21st of September. This 
Colonel is probably the present General Uraga, the military 
leader of the late successful revolution ; I mean that based 
upon " the plan of Guadalajara," by which President Arista's 
government was overthrown in January, 1853. 

From the citadel, we rode first to the western suburbs, and 
gratified our curiosity with a view of the hights and works 
captured by General Worth's division. At the base of the 



arista's palace. 237 

castle hill, we saw a giant cactus, more than twenty feet 
high, and which, when in bloom, must be a magnificent 
floral spectacle. "We next directed our course to Arista's 
palace, and its adjacent gardens, then filled with luscious 
and tempting fruits. The building possesses little architect- 
ural beauty, but its lofty and spacious rooms and breezy cor- 
ridors formed agreeable quarters for the sick and wounded 
soldiers who occupied them. The massive edifice inclosed 
three sides of a smoothly -paved jpatio or court, which was 
filled with vases of flowers and fountains of crystal water, 
that shed a grateful coolness over the atmosphere. The 
fourth side of the square opened upon an extensive garden, 
which, in its arrangement, displayed a degree of horticultural 
taste and knowledge not often surpassed in our own country. 
Parterres of flowers, hedges of pomegranates, alleys of limes, 
clumps of orange trees, bowers formed by the grape, the 
broad-leafed fig- and the golden shaddock, the air filled with 
perfumes and the melody of birds ; altogether formed a scene 
that Shenstone might have envied, and that Downing might 
have been pleased to contemplate. 

From that delightful spot we turned to examine a widely 
different place, the Camjpo Sanio^ or cemetery, situated 
between Arista's palace and the town. It was surrounded 
by a high wall, and, like almost everything else built by 
Spanish hands, strong enough to withstand an ordinary siege 
or earthquake. A large body of Mexican troops had occu- 
pied it at the commencement of the battle, but, after the fall 
of the Bishop's Castle, it was evacuated, a few balls skillfully 
thrown from Duncan's battery having caused them " to bile 



238 APPEARANCE OF MONTEREY. 

over the walls," as an old artillerist expressively remarked. 
The walls served the double purpose of enclosing the " holy- 
ground," and as a place to deposit the dead. Rows of tombs 
were built in it, some of which being open, exposed to view 
" dead men's bones, and all uncleanness." Leaving that 
gloomy receptacle of poor mortality, we entered the city by 
one of the streets which Worth's division had fought through, 
to the Plaza de la Carne^ in the center of which is a rudely 
constructed jet d'eau. Thence we proceeded by the way of 
the Plaza Mercado^ or market square, to the great Flaza, 
around which are clustered the public buildings of the city. 

The streets of Monterey are all well paved with round 
stones, and sloped to a gutter in the middle. They are 
uncommonly narrow, which, however, causes no inconve- 
nience, since the people possess but few vehicles, and it sel- 
dom or never happens that 

" Laden carts with thundering wagons meet, 
Wheels clash with wheels and bar the narrow street.'' 

The dreamy and dignified old Hidalgos would probably pre- 
fer the roar and crash of Paixhan-guns, to the rattle and 
clatter of omnibus and cab in their idle and quiet city. 
Beside scaling ofi" a little of the everlasting stucco from the 
walls, and sundering some of the scarcely more durable iron 
bars that protect the windows, our light artillery had not 
damaged the town. The houses, nearly without an excep- 
tion, are built of stone, and in the square, massive style well 
suited to that sultry and revolutionary country ; combining 
comfort with a solid strength that makes them as defensive 
as so many fortresses. The floors as well as roofs, the latter 



DWELLINGS IN MONTEREY. 239 

being supported by beams of imperishable moimtain-cedar, 
are covered with a hard and beautiful cement, in the manu- 
facture of which the Mexicans have excelled for many cen- 
turies. But few of the mansions are more than one story 
high, thougli the great elevation of that, being eighteen 
or twenty feet with its crowning parapet walls, give to 
the exterior of the buildings a hight quite proportional to 
the breadth of the streets. The best establishments cover a 
wide extent of ground and are generally arranged in a quad- 
rangular form, the stables and offices occupying one side of 
the square, with a court or small garden in the center. This, 
as well as the building, is reached from the street by a single 
large porte-cochere^ in which a small door is inserted for the 
convenience of pedestrians. These huge barn-like doors 
and the few closely-barred windows, — so unlike our inviting 
porticoes and bright Venetians, — give an exceedingly cheer- 
less and inhospitable aspect to the streets. The interior of 
the dwellings, however, excite very difierent impressions. 
In their internal arrangement, elegance and comfort are 
often judiciously combined. From the wide entrance just 
described, the visitor passes to the right and left, into spa- 
cious reception-rooms ; the polished floors, lofty ceilings and 
solid walls of which inclose a refreshing atmosphere even in 
mid-summer. These front rooms generally communicate with 
the more private apartments of the family, situated in the 
wings of the building, all of which open upon a pleasant 
arcade, that surrounds i\xQ])atio^ or space in the center. This 
comfortable appendage to the dwelling, affords the inmates 
a secluded place for exercise or amusement. And while it 



240 THE CAFES — THE SHOPS. 

protects the inner walls from the sun, is itself generally 
sheltered by the overhanging branches of fruit trees and rare 
flowering vines, that breathe a delicious fragrance through 
its cool arches. These colonnades, as we afterward dis- 
covered when stationed in the city, were just the places in 
which to enjoy a siesta or a bottle of vinto tino and cigar, 
after a fatiguing drill in the Plaza mayor. 

After visiting the churches and other public buildings, 
which presented nothing remarkable either in design or 
embellishment, we entered a restaurant, where a very poor 
dinner was obtainable for sixteen rials, including the luxury 
of a table-cloth. The Mexicans are much more temperate 
than the Americans, both in eating and drinking ; and their 
cafes consequently are not as flourishing as those in our 
towns and villages. Their favorite beverages now, as at the 
princely feasts of the Aztec nobles in the days of their bar- 
baric splendor, are the pulque, distilled from the aloe, and 
the chocolate, prepared from the cacao. A very good red 
wine is grown in parts of the tlert'a templada^ the quality of 
which might be much improved by the careful and cleanly 
process of manufacture pursued in our Ohio vineyards. 

Nearly all the shops of Monterey were open, and some of 
them contained assortments of rare and valuable goods, par- 
ticularly of Chinese fabrics. The market also seemed to be 
well attended by the country people. Eelying on the friendly 
assurance contained in the proclamation of the military gov- 
ernor of the city, the citizens had gradually returned to their 
homes. But they evidently avoided any familiar intercourse 
with the Americans. Naturally taciturn and serious, the 



THE INDIANS OF MEXICO. 241 

countenances of the better classes seemed to be yet more 
darkened with scowls of mingled hatred and sadness ; doubt- 
less attributable to wounded pride and disappointed hopes. 
I do not recollect ever to have heard a hearty laugh from 
Mexican lips ; and rarely indeed could they be induced to 
smile, " though Nestor swear the jest be laughable." The 
miserable leperos, however, who bask in the sunny plazas 
and hang around the huts of the suburbs, appeared perfectly 
indifferent to the fortunes of the city and even to their own 
fate. No spark of true patriotism, religion, or virtue, ever 
warmed their hearts. They seem incapable of the least 
intellectual effort ; and in their present ignorance and wretch- 
edness, no proof of the influence of Christianity and civiliza- 
tion in purifying and elevating the Indian race, can be 
recognized. The Indians of Mexico, comprising, it is said, 
at least two-thirds of its population, seem to have exchanged 
the rude virtues of their warlike ancestors for the vices of 
their conquerors. Ages of slavery under Spanish masters, 
commencing with the re^arthniento system, so justly de- 
nounced at its inception by the renowned Las Casas,* have 
rendered them incapable of appreciating or enjoying liberty ; 
even as the fish, long confined in the dark lakes of the Mam- 



* Fray Bartolome de la Casas, bishop of Chiapa, was born at Seville, in 1474 ; 
and was the first person admitted to priest's orders in the New World. A benevo- 
lent missionary and devoted friend of the aborigines, he was honored with the 
title of " Protector-General of the Indians." He was the first to propose, as the 
means of ameliorating the condition of the conquered natives of Cuba, that negro 
slaves should be introduced into that island. It would seem then, that the most 
enlarged philanthropy of the 16th, as of the 19th century, extended to but one 
favorite color. In the former the hlack was enslaved for the benefit of the red 
race ; and now the meek Chinaman is being substituted for the African. 



242 CAPTAIN KIDGELY. 

moth Cave, have lost the organs of vision from the absence 
of light. 

On the way to camp, after the visit to Monterey just men- 
tioned, I rode over the battle-field, and was shocked to per- 
ceive that the dogs and wolves had opened many of the 
shallow graves. The glacis, thrown across the gorge of the 
Teneria after its capture, and in which many of the enemy 
had been buried, was a promiscuous mass of bones and rags. 
The remains of our own soldiers were afterward more care- 
fully interred. The officers who fell in the battle, were 
buried together in a little cemetery on the border of the 
wood of San Domingo, over which a cross was erected in the 
hope that it would protect the hallowed spot from desecration. 
Many Mexicans have as little regard for the sanctity of the 
grave of an heretical Yankee, as the hyena itself; and there 
have been instances in which dying foreigners have been 
compelled to profess the Catholic religion in order to secure 
even the privilege of burial. 

Among the gallant officers whom death released from the 
service in the autumn of 1846, were Captain Randolph 
Ridgely, of the Artillery, and Brigadier General Thomas L: 
Hamer. The former possessed one of those dauntless spirits 
that revel in danger as if it were their natural element ; and 
by his conspicuous courage and skill in battle had already 
gained a brilliant reputation. After the death of Major 
Ringgold at Palo Alto, he had succeeded to tlie command of 
the " Flying Artillery," — a post for W'hich he was eminently 
fitted. In battle, he seemed to bear a charmed life ; but 
though shielded in the midst of so many perils, it was not 



DEATH OF GENERAL HAMER. 243 

> 

])roof against the accidents of fortune. He was the most 
accomplished horseman in the army, and yet by one of those 
inscrutable and most unexpected dispensations of Provi- 
dence, met death by the slipping of his horse while riding in 
the streets of Monterey. 

General Ilamer, commander of our brigade, died in camp 
at San Domingo, on the night of the 2d of December, after 
a very brief illness. The writer, who became acquainted 
with him at the commencement of the war, and enjoyed 
much of his society during the campaign, is conscious that 
his rude and unpracticed pen can not portray his character, 
or render more than a feeble tribute to his many excellent 
qualities of head and heart. Never was a general more 
beloved by his troops ; and indeed, his frank and popular 
manners gained him friends in every society in which he 
was thrown. Throughout his sickness, his tent was besieged 
by the men with sorrowful faces and anxious inquiries. The 
devotion of his own brigade was evinced in one of those 
sad scenes, which I was often called to witness, — the death of 
a soldier. Early in the night of General Hamer's decease, 
private Collins of our regiment breathed his last ; and with 
his dying words expressed the most aflectionate interest for 
his General. A few hours afterward that loved superior 
suddenly expired, in the presence of his physician. Dr. Cald- 
well, and a few officers of the brigade, exhibiting in his last 
moments his usual serenity and fortitude : 

" — ; So calm his exit ! 

Night dews fall not more gently to the ground, 
Nor weary, worn-out winds expire so solt." 

The whole camp, from the commander-in-chief down to the 



244 CHAEACTEE OF HAMEE. 

roughest soldier in the ranks, esteemed him and lamented 
his death.* General Hamer was well known as an able 
lawyer, and the most popular and eloquent orator of the 
Democratic party in Ohio. The complexion of his politics 
was not, perhaps, quite red enough to suit his party in the 
times in which he lived ; yet was he universally esteemed as 
a true patriot and a sound statesman. He had represented 
his district in the councils of the nation, where his excellency 
of speech and wisdom commanded the admiration and con- 
fidence of his peers. But lately re-elected to Congress, and 
with a brillant position in the army, a dazzling career of 

* When General Taylor was informed of Hamer's death, he exclaimed, " I have 
lost the balance-wheel of my volunteer army !" The following communications 
manifest to some extent, the regard entertained for the deceased General at head- 
quarters : 

Head- Quarters, Army of Occupation, 
Camp near Monterey, December 3, 1846. 

" Sir : It becomes my melancholy duty to report the death of Brigadier General 
Hamer, of the volunteer service, who expired last evening, after a short illness. 
The order to the army announcing this sudden dispensation, expresses but feebly 
the high estimation in which the deceased was held by all who knew him. In 
council, I found him clear and judicious; and in the administration of his com- 
mand, though kind, yet always impartial and just. He was an active participant 
in tlie operations before Monterey, and since had commanded the volunteer 
division. His loss to the army at this tinie can not be supplied, and the experience 
which he daily acquired in a new profession rendered his services continually more 
valuable. I had looked forward with confidence to the benefit of his abilities and 
judgment in the service which yet lies before us, and feel most sensibly the priva- 
tion of them 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, Major General U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General, Washington, D. C." 

Orders ) Head- Quarters, Army of Occupation, 

No. 150. i Camp near Monterey, December "i, 1846. 

" With feelings of profound sorrow, the commanding general announces to the 
troops the decease of Brigadier General T. L. Hamer, of the volunteer service, who 
expired last evening, after a short but violent illness. The ability and judgment 
displayed by the deceased general in the exercise of his military command, and the 
sterling qualities which marked his private character, endeared him justly to the 



CHARACTEE OF HAMER. 245 

earthly honors was opening before him, and had he lived, he 
would probably have " touched the highest point of mortal 
greatness." His manners were natural, graceful and win- 
ning ; his person robust and manly ; and his features, though 
not handsome, exceedingly prepossessing and intellectual. 
He was one of those men, whose souls appear to be ever 
beaming through their faces, ilis conversation was cheer- 
ful and interesting, and the wit and anecdote with which he 
pointed and adorned it, was always brilliant and charming. 
It has never been my fortune to know one who understood 
better than Hamer, when and how to use " the word fitly 
spoken," which, " is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." 
His cool head, ripe judgment, enlightened spirit and com- 
prehensive genius would have made him eminent in any 
position. During the campaign he had shown a practical 
good sense and talent for military afiairs, not often displayed 
by those suddenly elevated by political influence from civil 
life to high rank in the army. 

The funeral ceremonies on the 4tli of December were 
solemn and touching, and there were not many dry eyes at 

army and lo his many personal iriends. By the army in the field, and by the 
citizens of his own state, his loss will be severely felt; to those connected with 
him by closer ties it will be irreparable. Tiie deceased will be interred at 10 
o'clock, A. M., to-morrow, with the honors due to his rank. Brigadier General 
Quitman, commanding ae volunteer division, will conduct the funeral cere- 
monies, and will command the escort, to be composed of one regiment of volunteer 
infantry, one company of cavalry, and two pieces of artillery. The cavalry and 
artillery of the escort will bj designated by Brigadier General Twiggs from his 
division, and will report to General Quitman at 9 o'clock to-morrow. 

" All officers off duty are respectfully invited to attend the funeral, from the head- 
quarters of the Ohio and Kentucky brigade. 

" By order of Major General Taylor .- 

W. W. S. Bliss, 
Assistant Adjutant General." 
11* 



246 EVENTS OF THE AUTUMN KEVIEWED. 

the grave. The remains of the venerated General were sub- 
sequently conveyed, — in accordance with a resolution of the 
Legislature of Ohio, — to his former home in Brown county, 
where a vast concourse of his old friends and neighbors 
united in his final obsequies. His name and fame will 
never be forgotten by the brave and patriotic people of the 
great State he served and honored. So long as purity of pur- 
pose, wisdom, eloquence and courage are esteemed, they will 
treasure his memory in affectionate rememberance. I trust 
the day is not far distant, when Ohio (emulating the generous 
example of her sister States) will testify her appreciation of 
such services and sacrifices by rearing a monument in honor 
of her own lamented dead ; and inscribe high upon its mar- 
ble muster-roll the deathless name of " Hamer," — statesman 
and soldier, — ^?^ tdroqxie fidelis. 

Before concluding this chapter, I desire to review briefly 
the military movements of the autumn : And first, those of 
the Mexican forces. We have seen that the army of General 
Ampudia after the battle of Monterey, had retreated not only 
beyond the line agreed upon by the convention of September 
24th ; but to the city of San Luis de Potosi, situated hundreds 
of miles in the interior. The pass of the Rinconada or Los 
Muertos^ is the gate to the broad table-lands of Northern 
Mexico. It is two marches from Monterey and is the strong- 
est natural position for defense I ever saw, or read of, save 
Thermopyla3. Nature scarcely needed the assistance of art 
in defending the pass ; yet on the brow of the mountain and 
commanding the narrow and steep ascent, strong intrench- 
ments had been thrown up, and preparations made for a 



EVENTS OF THE AUTUMN REVIEWED. 247 

serious resistance. By its abandonment, the State of Coa- 
huila, with its rich capital, Saltillo, was left open to our 
arms. 

A month later, on the 27th of October, the garrison of 
Tampico under General Parrodi, after dismantling their 
batteries and throwing their heavy guns into the sea, also 
retreated to San Luis through the pass of Tula. The people 
of the frontier States of Mexico witnessed these movements 
with surprise and alarm ; and complained loudly of the cen- 
tral government for having thus left them to the tender mer- 
cies of the enemy. But these dispositions attest the sagacity 
and military talent of General Santa Anna, who having 
recently been restored to power, had entered the bloody arena 
as proudly and boldly as one of his own favorite game-cocks. 
He foresaw the impossibility of making head against the 
American arms, with even the preponderant force his country 
had heretofore set in the iield. To prevent the Mexican 
divisions from being beaten in detail, he wisely determined 
to concentrate the entire military strength of the Republic ; 
and then by one heavy and sudden blow upon a weak point 
of his adversary, restore the morale of his troops and the 
sinking fortunes of his country. The point too (San Luis de 
Fotosi) which he had selected for the re-organization of his 
grand army, being nearly equi-distant from all parts of our 
widely extended line, favored his designs ; and at the same 
time would enable him to meet promptly invasions from any 
quarter or xjronunciamientos at the capital. Keeping a 
strong division of Lifantry and Lancers in observations at 
Tula, and throwing his numerous Cavalry forward on the 



248 EVENTS OF THE AUTUMN REVIEWED. 

road to Saltillo, he remained quietly at San Luis until the 
28th of January, 1847 ; during which time many and exag- 
gerated accounts of his forces and designs reached our camp. 
There were some among us, who saw in every fire that 
blazed upon the mountains, the signal for an insurrection ; 
and who magnified every plump of partisan Lancers seen in 
the valley, into the van -guard of an approaching army. But 
General Taylor, from his time-w^orn tent at San Domingo, 
calmly watched the gathering storm ; and when told that 
Santa Anna would finally advance with thirty thousand men 
of all arms, is said to have replied, " In that event, I shall 
want ten thousand." 

Let us now examine the position and strength of the 
American forces at this period. It will be remembered that 
at the commencement of hostilities, our government deter- 
mined to invade Mexico with three columns. The first or 
" Army of the West " under General Kearney, marching 
from the frontier of Missouri across the Indian territory, 
was ordered to conquer the State of New Mexico ; and, with 
the co-operation of our Pacific fleet, the State of Alta Cali- 
fornia. This column performed the task assigned it before 
the close of the year 1846. Those distant departments of 
Mexico were virtually annexed to the United States, and 
supplied with constitutions of the most approved pattern, and 
laws of the latest fashion. It must be confessed that the 
establishment of these civil governments, was not calculated 
to convince the world, that the object of the Cabinet at 
Washington was difierent from that which had been pre- 
viously disclosed with such amiable naviete by our minister to 



EVENT8 OF THE AUTUMN EEVIEWED, 249 

Mexico, a plain-spoken Buckeye, who had not studied diplo- 
macy in the schools of Metternich and Talleyrand, 

The second column, or "Army of the Center," under 
General Wool, marched about the same time from San 
Antonio, Texas, in the direction of the enemy's State of 
Chihuahua, with orders to capture and hold it subject to a 
definitive treaty of peace. General Wool, finding no prac- 
ticable route to Chihuahua, except one by way of the towns 
Monclova and Parras, which brought him within a few 
leagues of Saltillo, was fortunately ordered by General Tay- 
lor to abandon his original purpose, and await further orders 
at Parras. Though this expedition had thus been defeated 
in its object, the long and weary march of Wool's command 
had been favorable to the training of the volunteers compos- 
ing it ; and who soon afterward exhibited their discipline 
and constancy on the field of Buena Vista. 

With the progress and condition of the third column or 
" Army of Occupation," as it continued to be designated, 
the reader is already familiar. He has seen it dislodge the 
enemy from Monterey, and then quietly encamp in and 
around the city, to await the progress of diplomacy during 
the armistice. Our government had sent to that of Mexico 
a proposition to open negotiations for peace immediately 
after the return of Santa Anna from exile ; and had been 
briefly informed, in reply, that the question would be laid 
before the new Mexican Congress, which was to assemble 
in December. Now if that Congress should consent to treat 
for a termination of the existing war, and a peace upon the 
basis of the uti possidetis should be established, it was 



250 THE AKMISTICE TEKMINATED. 

clearly desirable that we. should be found in possession of the 
the whole country north of the Sierra Madre. And if the 
Mexican Congress should refuse, as it did, to enter into ne- 
gotiations, the possession of Tampico and the establishment 
of a new basis of operations on the East would facilitate the 
conquest of a peace. Our Cabinet therefore very wisely de- 
termined to prosecute the war in the interval that must 
elapse before the assembling of the Mexican Congress, with 
the utmost vigor, and issued orders for a combined attack 
upon Tampico by land and sea. The movement was arrested 
by the news of the capitulation of Monterey, at the date of 
which General Taylor was not apprized of the changes that 
had occurred in the views of his government. The enemy, 
however, as we have seen, hastened to abandon the threat- 
ened port, Tampico, and it was soon afterward occupied by 
the naval force under Commodore Perry. 

On the 3d of November, General Taylor was instructed 
by his government to terminate the armistice. All the hopes 
of peace which he had reasonably entertained were dissi- 
pated. On the 6th of November, he sent Major Graham to 
notify the Mexican general -in-chief, that the temporary sus- 
pension of arms would cease on the 13th, the date at which 
the notice was expected to reach San Luis de Potosi. M^jor 
Graham proceeded no further than Saltillo, whence his dis- 
patches were forwarded to Santa Anna by the governor of 
Coahuila. The Mexican general in his acknowledgment of 
their arrival, thoughtlessly or maliciously insinuated that 
the notice was not warranted by the terms of the convention 
of Monterey ; but added that Taylor might commence hos- 



TAYLOR ADVANCES ON VICTORIA. 25l 

tilities when he pleased, and that he would duly correspond 
to them. This note met General Taylor at Saltillo, which 
city he had entered without opposition on the 16th of No- 
vember, at the head of Worth's division. He at once, in a 
second communication, vindicated his government from the 
imputation of a want of faith, and concluded by expressing 
the hope that the august Mexi^^n Congress would find it for 
the interest and honor of the nation, to enter upon an ami- 
cable negotiation for the settlement of existing difficulties. 
General Santa Anna, in reply, courteously submitted to Gen- 
eral Taylor's better judgment of the armistice ; but assured 
the American General, that neither the Congress nor any 
Mexican (the words in italics were probably intended to 
clear his own garments from the smell of treason) could 
ever listen to any proi^osition for peace, until the forces 
of the United States had withdrawn from the national ter- 
ritory. 

General Taylor leaving Worth and twelve hundred regular 
troops at Saltillo, now our advance post, with Wool at the 
head of twenty-four hundred men, on his flank at Parras, 
returned to Monterey and prepared next to occupy Victoria, 
the capital of Tamaulipas. That city was not only an im- 
portant point, politically, but being situated at the debouches 
of the Tula pass, a strong force there would threaten the 
flank of the Mexican army should it attempt to advance upon 
Saltillo. Accordingly on the 13th of December, the com- 
mander-in-chief, having previously ordered Patterson's divis- 
ion w^iich had been left in reserve upon the Rio Grande, to 
meet him at Victoria, marched eastward with the brigades of 



252 TAYLOR ADVANCES ON VICTOKIA. 

Twiggs and Quitman, leaving General Butler in command at 
Monterey, with a small battalion of Kegulars, the 4th In- 
fantry, in the city, and our brigade still in camp at San 
Domino-o, 



CHAPTER YIII. 

False reports. — Why and how we went to Saltillo.— The loan of a donkey. — 
Forced march across the Sierra Madre. — Mountain scenery. — La Rinconada. — 
The aloe plant. — Los Muertos. — The ticrra templada. — Bivouac at the Palomas 
pass. — Conduct of the natives. — A cotton factory. — Scarcity of fuel. — Sufferings 
of the troops. — Rabbit hunts. — A visit to Saltillo. — Christmas-eve. — Another 
stampede.— Christmas-day in Saltillo. — Lassoing a team.— Return to Monterey. 

The reader who traces on the map of Mexico, the long 
line occupied by our troops in the winter of 1846, in distant 
and small detachments, and then looks at the position of the 
united Mexican forces at San Luis de Potosi, might perhaps 
suppose that General Taylor had committed a palpable fault 
in so dividing his army as to prevent its timely concentration 
at any threatened point. But when he is informed that there 
are no practicable passes through the rocky barrier of the 
Sierra Madre, save at Tula and Rinconada, and that it is 
impossible to transport artillery through the former; that 
between San Luis and Saltillo, there is a vast desert, 
which is of all natural obstacles the most difficult for an 
army to overcome ; he will perceive how the rules of war 
are governed by the country in which it is waged, and admit 
that the American arms were in no way compromited by 
the dispositions which followed the termination of the armis- 
tice. Our greatest difficulty was in obtaining reliable infor- 
mation of the enemy's designs, and we were consequently 
annoyed by many false and vexatious alarms. On the other 
12 



254 worth's big stampede. 

hand, General Santa Anna was correctly advised of all onr 
movements by the citizens in onr vicinity ; and unfortunately 
by the sad capture and death of Lieutenant Eichey at "Villa 
Grande, obtained possession of dispatches which revealed to 
him Scott's proposed descent upon Vera Cruz, to be preceded 
by the withdrawal from our line, of the elite of Taylor's vic- 
torious army. Every one remembers how he profited by this 
knowledge ; how despite the clamors of his own countrymen 
concerning his inactivity, he remained at San Luis drilling 
his troops and collecting the necessary material for the cam- 
paign, until all our regular and many of our volunteer regi- 
ments had joined General Scott upon the coast ; and how, 
when the long anticipated moment arrived, his mighty host 
rapidly crossed the desert and rolled, like the swelling tide 
of Fundy, up through the valley of Angostura. 

It has been stated in the preceding chapter, that General 
Taylor marched for Victoria on the 13th of December, leav- 
ing the 1st Ohio and the 1st Kentucky regiments, formerly 
Hamer's brigade, and which after his death had been broken 
up, in camp near Monterey. The departure of so considera- 
ble a portion of our force, and especially of the commander- 
in-chief, whose presence always seemed suflBcient to inspire 
the weakest corps with confidence, gave room to many vague 
surmises concerning the enemy, and which soon attained a 
threatening magnitude. The most important of these, gene- 
rally known as "Worth's big stampede," caused a commo- 
tion that was felt from Saltillo to the Brazos, and brought 
every battalion several marches up the line. On the night 
of the 16th of December, General Butler commanding at 



worth's big stampede. 255 

Monterey, received a message from General Worth to the 
eflect that Santa Anna designed to take advantage of the 
diversion of force toward Victoria, to strike a heavy blow at 
Saltillo ; and if successful, then at General Wool's force at 
Parras. This rumor, caused by some unimportant movement 
in the enemy's camp which was reported by our spies, ob- 
tained color from the advantage it was supposed to promise 
the Mexicans. General Butler immediately commanded the 
1st Ohio and 1st Kentucky regiments, with Captain Web- 
ster's howitzer battery, to move by forced marches on Sal- 
tillo; and dispatched orders to hasten up troops from the 
rear. The intelligence also overtook General Taylor at Mon- 
temorelos, who immediately turned back with Twiggs' divis- 
ions, leaving Quitman's brigade to continue its march east- 
ward. But on his return to Monterey, learning that the 
expected movement of Mexican troops had not taken place ; 
and that in addition to our brigade. General WooFs column 
was also hastening to reinforce Worth at Saltillo, he made a 
rapid countermarch on Victoria. 

General Butler's order reached our camp at San Domingo 
at 2 A, M. on the 17th of December ; and as we were expect- 
ed to be in Monterey at dawn, but few hours were allowed 
for preparation. We however, " took the instant by the for- 
ward top." The men set fire to their huts, hurriedly packed 
their knapsacks by the light their flames afforded, and then 
cooked breakfast upon the glowing embers. As there was 
not a wagon or pack-mule in the camp, and the march was 
to be a rapid one, the soldiers were required to reduce their 
baggage to the smallest possible compass. Many articles of 



256 WE LEAVE SAN DOMINGO. 

comfort, that had been collected during our long stay at San 
Domingo, were therefore necessarily abandoned. Yet when 
the battalion was formed, I was surprised to observe heavy 
and rudely-constructed bird-cages hanging upon the backs of 
a few men. These contained birds of the parrot tribe, 
caught in the grove, and which their owners preferred to car- 
ry rather than more useful articles. Though somewhat ener- 
vated from long inaction, the troops shrank not from the 
fatigues in prospect. More tranquil than before the battle 
of Monterey, they were yet as ready for the encounter, and 
animated by as good a spirit as could be wished. The reflec- 
tion too, that the regiment had now attained a degree of dis- 
cipline which rendered it doubly as formidable as it had pre- 
viously been, was a source of no little satisfaction to its com- 
manding officer. 

Leaving a small guard to attend the sick, and follow with 
the tents as soon as the means of transportation were sup- 
plied, the column cheerfully set forward. Long, and tedious 
to many, as was our sojourn at San Domingo, yet will its 
grateful shades resting now upon the graves of many brave 
comrades, ever be remembered with associations of mingled 
pleasure and sorrow. It was quite dark when we moved 
from the grove, but before we reached the city, the sun 
emerged from the golden portals of the East, shedding a glo- 
rious effulgence over the mountain-tops, and which gradu- 
ally descended upon the trembling shadows of the valley, 
until the whole scene at length rejoiced in the perfect day. 
We entered the town without beat of drum, and stacked 
arms in the plaza, just as a group of priests were hastening 



WE MARCH OUT OF MONTEREY, 257 

to matins. They paused npon the steps of the cathedral in 
evident surprise at the sudden appearance of our brigade in 
marching trim ; and their manner went far to satisfy me that 
General Santa Anna was at that moment calmly reposing at 
San Luis de Potosi. The conduct of the intelligent and well- 
informed natives, was a tolerably good index to such matters. 
After making such an early start, it would have been pos- 
sible to reach the Rinconada in one march ; but we were 
unfortunately detained in Monterey several hours in obtain- 
ing a supply of ammunition, shoes, etc. It was not until 11 
o'clock, and when a thermometer in one of the cool mansions 
of the city indicated a temperature of ninety degrees, that 
the column composed of our brigade and "Webster's battery, 
attended by General Butler in person, was ordered to move. 
In the meanwhile, some of the men in addition to the weight 
of their equipments, had succeded in getting "bricks in their 
caps." Those we would have left as being overladed, but 
they insisted that they "could march the better, since their 
knapsacks were now balanced." Judging from the replies 
that were generally encountered by officers on such occasions, 
one might reasonably infer that the Mexican aguadiente^ like 
the Falstaffian beverage, sherris sack, had a "two-fold virtue 
in it," making men witty as well as "very hot and valiant." 
Passing round the hill of the Obispado, we bade adieu to 
the beautiful and balmy region in which we had long lingered, 
and entered the gorge so often noticed in previous pages of 
this narrative ; on our right, the Miter mountain, on our 
left, the Sierra Madre, soaring to the skies. The road for 
several miles, is closely flanked by mountains, and the scene- 



258 THE LOAN OF A DONKEY. 

ly most grand and picturesque. The river, which we were 
often compelled to wade in the course of the day, meanders 
through the narrow valley and embraces in its graceful arms 
some spots of rich verdure. The shades of evening closed 
around us at Santa Catalina ; and as many of the men were 
lagging from fatigue, we determined to halt in the hamlet. 
An hour afterward, the rear-guard with the stragglers, came 
up in high glee, driving before them what, from its great size 
and singular motion, appeared to be a camel or bunch-backed 
dromedary. On approaching the camp-fires, it was discovered 
to be a moving mass of knapsacks : but it was not until they 
were unbuckled and removed one by one, that the motive 
power was disclosed to the amused spectators, in a diminu- 
tive donkey, much jaded and looking quite woe-begone. 
Had it been one of Ericson's caloric engines, I could scarcely 
have been more surprised ; so utterly disproportionate were 
the weight and bulk of the burden, to that of the animal. 

General Taylor had published an order prohibiting the 
men from owning riding animals ; but the soldiers often 
torroiued them on emergencies like the present. They were 
always cheerfully restored to the Mexican claimants after a 
a few hours' use. It may be needless to add that the double- 
jointed and iron-ribbed donkey that brought such a mountain 
of baggage into Santa Catalina was — a forced loan. The 
ass, — one of the things specially mentioned in the command- 
ment against covetousness, — is almost the commonest species 
of property among the Mexicans, as among the Israelites. 
So common and cheap indeed, that no divine or human 
injunction concerning it was ever much regarded. It was 



THE PASS OB^ KINCONADA. 259 

always, — " nothing but a d d jackass any how ;" and 

generally received more curses than corn. On the hurried 
march to Saltillo a number of them were at various times 
and places pressed into the service. I recollect one occasion 
when, having ridden unexpectedly to the rear, I surprised a 
party of soldiers engaged in lifting a donkey bodily over a 
stone wall that separated his pasture from the road. Though 
it never displeased me to know that the animals of the 
enemy were sometimes required to assist our men in bearing 
" the burden and heat of the day ;" yet it was impossible to 
overlook this singular highway operation, lest the offense, 
once countenanced by an officer, should be changed " to 
virtue and to worthiness." The party being caught -flagrante 
delicto y at once took up their arms and resumed the march, 
leaving the patient and stupid ass dangling across the wall. 
Calling them back to relieve the animal from that ludicrous 
attitude, I rode rapidly off, not doubting however, but that 
they would find it much more convenient to pull him into 
the road, than to push him back into the field. 

"With the first glimmering of dawn on the 18th, we left 
Santa Catalina, and soon afterward began to climb the broad 
mountain which lies between that village and La Rinconada. 
It is eight leagues across that dreary and voiceless Sierra ; 
and not one human habitation or drop of water in the whole 
distance. Though the ascent is gradual, yet so rough was 
the road and so warm the day, that many of the men 
enfeebled by sickness or relaxed by previous inaction, suflTered 
greatly from exertion and thirst. No one seemed to bear the 
fatigue better than a Mexican boy, about twelve years of age. 



260 VIEW FEOM THE SUMMIT. 

who (his father having been killed in the battle of Eesaca) 
had attached himself to Captain Hamilton of our regiment.* 
It was nearly noon when we arrived, thirsty and panting, at 
the top of the mountain, where we halted for those who had 
loitered behind, imable to keep up with the march. The 
view from the lofty ridge we had gained, was grand beyond 
example. No trace of verdure could be seen ; but in every 
direction bare and bristling peaks, flashing in the hot sun, 
met the astonished eye. A single glance, and we were ready 
to exclaim with the poet, — • 

" A scene so wide, so wild as this 

Yet so sublime in barrenness, 

Ne'er did my wandering footsteps pre§s." 

It was many a weary step from the summit of the mountain 
to the water at Rinconada ; and over a more rocky and pre- 
cipitous road. Soon after commencing the descent, we met 
a Mexican driving a few mules, which were laded with 
apples for the Monterey market. A very poor variety of 
that fruit is imperfectly grown on the high land around 
Saltillo ; sufficiently hard and knotty to bear transportation 
in rough hampers lashed upon the backs of mules. The 
oranges and other fruits of the tierra caliente^ are brought 
back in exchange, to the inhabitants of the mountain regions. 
The startled arriero was much rejoiced to find that he would 
be allowed to pass unmolested ; and politely offered us water 
Irom a large gourd which he carried ; a generous sacrifice, 

* The boy's name was, I understood, Carlos de la Cruz. He was a sprightly 
youth, a great favorite with the soldiers, and after he had acquired our language 
was otten a useful interpreter. After enduring all the hardships of the campaign, 
he was brought to Ohio by his excellent patron, Captain Edward Hamilton ; and is 
yet enjoying the favor and protection of that gallant gentleman. 



LA KINCONADA. 2G1 

nardly to be expected from one who liad sncli a dry and toil- 
some path before him. The traveler in Mexico soon learns 
to estimate highly the precious element with which the 
Creator has so bountifully blessed our own land, and to 
appreciate fully the many beautiful allusions to floods, and 
wells and water-brooks contained in the Bible. 

At La Rinconada^ which is, as its name signifies, " a 
little corner " or nook, we found a rapid stream of warm 
water, strongly impregnated with sulphur. It issued from a 
narrow glen, so gloomy and forbidding in its aspect, that, 
with the hot brimstone flavor of the water on his tongue, the 
spectator might readily suppose it the entrance to Ilades. 
In this sequestered spot and hemmed in on three sides by 
towering mountains, is a single large rancho, built of 
adobes, and designed, I presume, chiefly for the accommoda- 
tion of travelers. Scattered over the few acres of arable 
ground around the house, we saw, for the first time in per- 
fection, that miracle of the vegetable kingdom, the aloe, 
{agave Americana ;) and which was to the Aztecs, all that 
the reindeer is to the Laplanders.* Though the ofiicers 
and men generally were active and cheerful, and untiring, 
throughout the march, in efibrts to encourage and assist the 

* The distinguished historian, Prescott, in his " Conquest of Mexico," gives the 
following account of the various and important uses to which the maguey was 
applied by the aborigines. To these, the modern Mexicans have added another, 
by converting it into a hedge plant, for which it is very valuable in the great 
scarcity of wood for fencing. 

" Its bruised leaves afforded a paste from which paper was manufactured ; its 
juice was fermented into an intoxicating beverage, pulque ; of which the natives to 
this day, are exceedingly fond ; its leaves further supplied an impenetrable thatch 
for the more humble dwellings ; thread, of which coarse stuffs were made, and 
strong cords, were drawn from its tough and twisted fibres ; pins and needles were 
made of the thorns at the extremity of its leaves ; and the root when properly 



262 THE PASS OF LOS MUEETOS. 

weak, it was late in the afternoon oefore the last feeble and 
foot-sore soldier limped down to the stream at La Rinconada. 
Some of the foremost troops had already kindled fires, expect- 
ing to pass the night there ; but when the rear -guard came 
in. General Butler determined to push across the next sierra 
by the famous pass of Los JNIuertos, and encamp at Agua 
Caliente. The men were cramped and stiffened by the toil- 
some march they had already performed ; but they at once 
shouldered their arms and fell into ranks. A few, utterly 
exhausted, were unable to proceed, and did not overtake the 
column until the next day. 

The road at the Kinconada turns abruptly to the left, and 
winds for a league up through a narrow gorge, at the head 
of which the enemy had erected a strong field-work. About 
half way up, it turns a bold shoulder of the mountain ; and 
for the rest of the distance sweeps round a deep hollow in 
its bare sides, every foot of which might be commanded by a 
battery on the summit. The sun had left the valley before 
us, and the mountains, obscured by the gathering shades of 
night, loomed up in black and shapeless masses against the 
sky. The faint light which remained, revealed to us a 
number of rude crosses that studded the steep ascent.* 

cooked, was converted into a palatable and nutritious food. The agave, in short, 
was meat, drink, clothing and writing-materials for the Aztec ! Surely, never did 
nature inclose in so compact a form so many of the elements of human comfort and 
civilization." 

* Los Muertos or " the dead men's " pass, obtains its name from the number of 
murders committed in that wild and dismal spot. It is customary to mark those 
scenes of violence with the symbol of the Christian faith. In consequence, as I 
suppose, of the difficulty of planting crosses in the hard mountain road, those in 
the pass of Los Muertos were supported by large piles of stones, beneath which, 
many of our people believed, were the bones of the dead. 



THE PASS OF LOS MUEETOS. 263 

Before getting through the pass, we experienced a most 
unwelcome change of temperature ; often so sudden and 
perceptible when altitude regulates the climate, as in Mexico. 
The cold night-wind flowing through the gorge from the 
table-lands above, to the warm valleys we had left, was 
keenly felt ; and after our halt benumbed us all. It was 
quite dark when the weary stragglers reached the bald crest 
of the mountain ; but they were there stimulated to exertion 
by the blaze of the bivouac fires in advance, and around 
which were assembled their comrades preparing the evening 
meal. 

We encamped near some hot-springs, of which there are 
many possessing various mineral properties along the Sierra 
Madre range. After the cra\dngs of hunger and thirst were 
appeased, cheerfulness returned even to those who were com- 
pelled to undergo the additional fatigue of guard-duty. So 
true it is, that the soldier in active service is alike heedless 
of past suflering and indifl'erent to the future. Thirst was 
his greatest tormentor in Mexico, but every stream from 
which he drank seemed to possess the quality of Lethe's 
waves. Though the day thus spent in crossing the Sierra 
Madre was one of the most fatiguing of the campaign, it 
was yet full of interest and excitement ; inspired both by the 
cause of our forced march, and the grand marvellous exhibi- 
tions of nature around us. 

On the 19th, we had an early Teveille^ and marched before 
dawn, determined to reach Saltillo in the afternoon, though 
some of us were far from believing that Santa Anna was 
hastening, as reported, toward the same point. The road, 



264 THE APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTKT. 

now by an easy grade, led iis to the table-land of Coaliuila, 
and we soon found ourselves in a vast and elevated plain, 
which was encompassed by a lofty mountain rampart. At 
the south-western extremity of the plateau, near the point 
at which the rocky ranges converge to form the valley of 
Angostura — (in which is the pass of Buena Yista) is the 
capital of the State, Saltillo. About midday, we met Lieu- 
tenant Colonel May with his Dragoons, en route for Mon- 
terey. He informed us that the report of Santa Anna's 
advance, had not been confirmed ; that there was no neces- 
sity for haste ; and that General Worth desired us to encamp 
on a stream two leagues this side of Saltillo, near Canon of 
Palomas (pass of Pigeons,) by which, it was rumored, a 
division of the enemy designed to get in rear of the town 
and cut off our communication with Monterey.* At this 
intelligence, we slackened our pace and proceeded leisurely 
to the spot designated. 

The face of the country, over which we marched, was bare, 
even of chaparral, and was in appearance exceedingly sterile. 
But the many ranches and numerous fields gave evidence of 
a more settled and industrious population than any we had 
yet seen ; the austerity of the climate, unlike the genial 
temperature of the lower country, rendering systematic labor 
necessary. In the summer season, the rough aspect of that 
region is probably much softened, by the green and attractive 
garniture with which it is decked by Ceres and Pomona. 

* It was through this same " Pigeon Pass," that Minon's cavahy brigade did cross 
two months afterward, viz — on the day preceding the battle of Buena Vista. It is 
rather remarkable that the rumor should have floated to our ears so long before the 
movement was executed. 



A COTTON FACTORY. 265 

The soil though dry, is generous, and by the simple applica- 
tion of water is made productive. Lrigation therefore, is 
extensively practiced on those elevated and thirsty plateaus. 
In the neighborhood in which we encamped, were numerous 
canals, which, gathering water from the only stream in that 
part of the country, assisted in fertilizing many a broad acre 
of the parching plains. As the soil would be utterly worth- 
less for agricultural purposes without the application of water, 
the poor husbandmen are compelled to pay high rents to the 
proprietors of the canals as well as to the landlords. We 
were informed that two crops were gathered from the same 
land every twelve months, as in the tierra oaliente ; but here 
one of them was a crop of small grain. Wheat sowed in 
November, is ready for the sickle in April ; and corn is 
planted immediately after the wheat harvest. 

Soon after encamping, we observed that the inhabitants 
of some rancJios not far off, alarmed at the vicinity of 
the dreaded vohmtarios^ were preparing to abandon their 
homes. To these we immediately sent assurances of good 
treatment, and offered a guard for their property if desired. 
This tranquilized them, and they were soon induced to enter 
our lines ; bringing chickens, eggs, and what was most 
acceptable, some dried fruit. Some of them were intelligent 
people, and conversed freely about their government, with 
which they expressed much discontent. 

Between our camp and Saltillo, and located upon the 
stream before mentioned, was a cotton factory; the only 
establishment of the kind, I believe, in Northern Mexico. 
Indeed, notwithstanding the adaptation of large tracts of 



206 A corroN factoey. 

Mexican territory to the growth of cotton, and the high tariff 
policy of the government, there are but few manufactories 
in any part of the country.* The most extensive are at 
Puebla ; but none of them are said to be prosperous, though 
the price of coarse cotton goods (not smuggled) is from thirty 
to forty cents per yard. The owners of the factory did not 
appear to be particularly friendly to the United States, whose 
traders they said were following our armies and filling the 
Mexican markets with cheap cottons. One of them informed 
me that the Mexican editors were all for war to the bitter 
end ; and based many hopes upon the peace party in the 
United States, which was soon expected to pronounce against 
President Polk. 

* I am templed to quote in this connection, — as explanatory of the causes that 
have operated against the development of the industrial interests of the country, — 
part of an excellent article that appeared in the number for May, 1847, of that val- 
uable periodical, "Hunt's Merchants' Magazine.'' The difficulties encountered in 
the recent Tehuantepec negotiations, confirm what the writer says concerning the 
jealousy and opposition of the natives to the enterprise of foreigners. 

" Whoever contemplates the map of the world, and reflects upon the course of 
commerce in relation to the East, from the discoveries of the Portuguese, down to 
the present day, will naturally fix upon Mexico as that nation of all others best 
calculated from its frontier to take the lead in commerce. Her geographical posi- 
tion is good ; and the eyes of all nations have, since the abandonment of a north- 
west passage to India, been fastened on the Isthmus, as the great future road for 
commerce between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Mexico labors, however, 
under many disadvantages. On the Gulf coast she has not a single good harbor ; 
and the cities are not habitable for foreigners during many months in the year. 
The land ascends rapidly from the coast to the interior, making the transportation 
of goods difficult and expensive. But Mexico enjoys also many great advantages. 
Nature has blessed it with every possible description of mineral and agricultural 
wealth in profuse abundance : and an industrious people, with an efficient govern- 
ment, would not fail to place it foremost among the nations of the earth. Unfor- 
tunately, however, the natives passed under the dominion of proud, indolent, and 
rapacious Spaniards,— a people essentially anti-industrial and anti-commercial. 
Down to 1789, Spain continued its barbarian prohibitive policy, allowing only one 
galleon of 1400 tons to enter Mexico annually with Chinese merchandise ; and 
one, once in three years, from Seville or Cadiz, was chartered by government with 



STATE OF MEXICAN MANUFACTCRES. 267 

The manuliictoiy was a very substantial structure, two 
stories high, and built of adobes. Its machinery (about forty 
looms and twelve hundred spindles,) was made in New Jer- 
sey. The native operatives seemed sufficiently active and 
intelligent. A small chapel was erected for their accommo- 
dation near the mill, in order, perhaps, that they might lose 
but little time in paying their devoirs to the many inferior 
divinities of the Mexican church, every saint's day prompt- 
ing to idleness. 

European merchandise. In 1790, the trade was thrown open ; and private capital- 
ists engaging in it, it soon reached from $11,000,000 to §19,000,000. This trade 
was, however, still burdened with most onerous impositions under four general 
heads :^rs^ on articles of Spanish produce in the markets of Seville or Cadiz; 
second, on shipments for Mexico ; tliird, at Vera Cruz ; fourth, transfer duties at 
every step from merchant to consumer. Under such arrangements, the trade did 
not prosper much ; but on the breaking out of the civil war, the new government 
opened the leading ports of commerce. The Spanish merchants withdrew to Cuba 
and Cadiz, and their places were supplied by British and Americans, who, settling 
in the interior, supplied the people with goods in exchange for dollars. The jealousy 
of the natives, who, themselves exceedingly indolent, are instantly enraged at 
contemplating the prosperity of a diligent foreigner among them, caused an imbe- 
cile government to make absurb threats against foreign artificers and traders; and 
thereby prevented the growth of enterprise in the country. These circumstances 
conspired to leave Mexico, at the era of the war of independence, in 1822, entirely 
without those great conservative commercial and industrial interests, without 
which the military inevitably obtain the mastery and control of affairs. The long 
war of independence turned all the energy the nation possessed, into a military 
direction. From 1808 to 1821, the history of the revolution is only that of a san- 
guinary guerrilla warfare, leading to no results other than destruction to trade and 
insecurity to property. In 1821, the sudden secession of Iturbide from the royal 
cause, in favor of liberalism, resulted in his ascending the throne as Emperor 
Augustin I. From that time down to the present day, the political history oi Mexi- 
co, has been one rude scene of violence and military anarchy. A turbulent ban- 
ditti, as faithless in their foreign dealings as they were rapacious, cruel and treach- 
erous in their domestic affairs, have, for twenty-six years, held possession of that 
unhappy country. Room for enterprise, encouragement to industry, or security for 
property, there were none. The roads, particularly the splendid way constructed 
by the merchants of Vera Cruz from that city to the upper county, were suflered to 
go to decay ; not even the injuries they sustained during the war have been 
repaired. Their antipathy to carriages, and means of transport and communica- 



268 SUFFERING OF THE TROOPS. 

We lay in our position near Saltillo, from the 19tli of De- 
cember until the 1st of January, 1847, suffering much from 
the inclemency of the season. In the hurry of our depart- 
ure from San Domingo, much of our camp equipage had 
been lost, and some of our troops were compelled to dig holes 
in the ground, in which to shelter themselves from the pierc- 
ing blasts that nightly swept across the open plain. Fuel 
was more scarce, in that region, than water; a single wagon- 
load of wood, brought from a distance of twenty miles, being 
distributed each day for cooking purposes, among the compa- 
nies in camp. Many poor inhabitants of that country obtain 
their subsistence by daily carrying small faggots on their 
backs to the Saltillo market. 

The soldiers off duty, often engaged in such athletic sports, 
as aided them in resisting the severity of the climate. A 

tion, is even more strong than that of the Spaniards. Wliile the government in its 
enactments and practice, has shown itself far more hostile to commerce than to 
crime, traffic has been more oppressed than vice, and merchants more rigidly fined 
than murderers. The repeated revolutions have left those who gain power, no 
other prospect than to get rich by peculation ; and it has become a seemingly well 
understood system, that those going out of power should empty the treasury, and 
leave their successors to fill theirs by the most approved system of plunder. The 
readiest mode of replenishing the treasury and feeding the cupidity of the officers, 
has been found in the prohibitive tarifi" system ; because, while under pretense of 
encouraging home manufactures, by keeping foreign goods scarce and high, it 
made the sale of special privileges to import goods more profitable to the dictator. 
The higher were the profits to be realized by the merchant, the better price could he 
pay for the privilege. Hence, although a dishonest government had pledged the 
custom's revenue to discharge the interest on its debt; by this device of the special 
privileges, they could still be made available to the officer. A system of low duties 
would not have admitted such an operation. 

"All these causes have operated powerfully against the development of those 
great conservative industrial and commercial interests, without which there can be 
no stability of government, no efficient execution of the laws, nor any means of 
keeping in check those military adventurers, whose turbulence has torn that ill- 
fated country in internal brawls ; and whose non-observance of treaties and plighted 
faith has involved two nations in the horrors of war." 



BABBIT HUNTING. 269 

favorite diversion ^vas rabbit-catching by a circular hunt or 
"surround." Those animals were neither rare nor shy in 
that vicinity ; and from their unusual size and the extraordi- 
nary length of their ears, were designated by the specific 
term "jackass-rabbits." Some of them are nearly as large as 
the red fox of the North. Their hair is very long and fine, 
and it is known that the ancient Mexicans possessed the art 
of weaving it into a soft and delicate web. Three or four 
hundred of the men, unarmed, generally united in the hunt, 
the scene of which was a plain adjoining our camp, covered 
with sedge and bushes not much higher than the knee. By 
skillfully and rapidly forming a large circle, the men always 
inclosed one or more rabbits. Then marching with loud 
shouts toward the center, and closing the intervals between 
them as they advanced, no means of escape were left to the 
terrified and bewildered animals, save by jumping over the 
heads of the soldiers, which was sometimes successfully 
attempted. 

The day after our arrival, I visited Saltillo on military 
business and to see the town. It contains some handsome 
and extensive buildings, and the streets are tolerably well 
paved. The principal plaza is embellished with shade trees 
and a fountain, and the whole city is abundantly supplied 
with good water. The church is a vast and irregular edifice, 
nearly two hundred and fifty feet in length, and elaborately 
ornamented within and without. The wall behind the grand 
altar is about fifty feet high, and all covered with a mass of 
gilding in raised figures, that dazzled and wearied the eye. 
A profusion of paintings, statues and wax figures, were dis- 
12* 



270 VISIT TO SALTILLO. 

played upon the sides of the building, or grouped around 
the various shrines, representing the Virgin, our Saviour, 
and sundry saints, both native and foreign, " our Lady of 
Guadaloupe " having as usual a conspicuous place. To all 
of these, the artists had given the the dark complexion of the 
Mexicans, and which pious fraud, it has been remarked, " is 
intended to flatter the race for the good of their souls." 
There are no ]3ew8 in their churches, and an American, even 
an American Catholic, as he strolls through them, finds it 
difficult to divest himself of the idea that he is examining a 
museum or picture-gallery. But when in the performance 
of some religious ceremony, the priests, in their flowing and 
picturesque habits, are gathered around the altar, and the 
broad floor is covered with kneeling worshippers, while the 
deep tones of the organ fill the ear with sacred melody, the 
efiect is impressive and solemn. 

Bleak and comfortless as was our bivouac, I can yet recall 
some cheerful hours spent there. And what position or cir- 
cumstance could damp the exuberant spirits of youth, en- 
gaged in an exciting campaign in a country so full of curious 
and novel scenes ! We had determined that nothing but the 
approach of the Mexican army, (in which event, I ween, 
birds of a stronger wing and fiercer spirit than doves would 
have wheeled in the "canon de Palomas") should prevent us 
from observing with customary honors the "hallow'd and 
gracious time" of Christmas. On its sacred eve, the coun- 
try around us assumed a more cheerful aspect. The people 
were abroad with songs and music ; bonfires and rockets 
blazed in every direction ; the little chapel at the mill was 



CHKISTMAS IN CAMP. 271 

illuminated, and the sound of bells floated far over the plain. 
In our camp too, there were some merry little parties. Some 
of my readers will j)erchanc6 recollect a certain company of 
jovial friends that assembled at our Assistant Surgeon's tent 
to discuss a bucket of foaming egg-nog, mixed according to 
the Old School prescription and administered in no Homeo- 
pathic doses ; they will remember too, that when in the full 
enjoyment of their " flowing ^^V^-cups," a courier, who had 
come in hot haste from Saltillo, entered with the intelligence 
that the Mexican troops were rapidly advancing, and an 
order for the brigade to be held in readiness to march at a 
moment's warning ; — and how, in the midst of the song and 
toast, those "merry, merry men" buckled on their swords 
and hastened to their posts, with the Avhite froth yet upon 
their mustaches and the red blood bounding gladly in their 
hearts. 

An old Mexican residing in the neighborhood, and whom, 
for certain reasons, I Avas inclined to believe, had on that day 
assured me with many solemn protestations, that Santa 
Anna's forces were still at San Luis de Potosi. But with 
the brightening prospect of another glorious "stampede" at 
least, the men were directed to sleep on their arms. Toward 
morning as we lay " 'twixt sleeping and waking" on the 
hard ground, the faint but unmistakable sound of many dis- 
tant hoofs was heard ; and afl;er the lapse of a few anxious 
moments we saw advancing across the arid plain, what, in 
the uncertain light appeared to be a large body of cavalry. 
They approached slowly and cautiously as if hoping to sur- 
prise the camp ; and we were just indulging in a little quiet 



272 ANOTHER STAMPEDE. 

mirth at the disappointment which awaited them, w'hen the 
enemy at a closer view were transformed into pack-mnles, 
about five or six hundred in number. 

But the excitement caused by the report received on the 
previous night, was not allowed thus tamely to subside. 
Early in the forenoon of Christmas-day, a dragoon galloped 
into camp with a communication from General Butler, who 
had now assumed command at Saltillo, ordering us to repair 
to town forthwith. The messenger stated tliat the game was 
now afoot beyond doubt; that General "Wool's column, which 
had arrived within a few miles of town, had actually seen 
and skirmished w^ith the enemy. 

We started immediately at a rattling pace and reached 
Saltillo in an hour. After halting a few moments in the 
suburbs to dress the ranks, we entered the town with the 
cadenced step and flying colors. On every side were evi- 
dences of excitement and alarm. The garrison (General 
Worth's division) was under arms ; while groups of fright- 
ened citizens, whom the appearance of our volunteers was 
not calculated to pacify, were hurrying to and fro. For sever- 
al hours we remained in the plaza, awaiting orders. In the 
meanwhile, a hundred contradictory rumors floated around. 
Plans of battle there were many ; but of retreat, not one. 
All reports agreed in estimating Santa Anna's army at more 
than twenty thousand. With General Wool's force, we could 
have mustered about four thousand efiectives, and sixteen 
pieces of artillery. But a resolute courage animated every 
breast and each felt that, — "the fewer the men the greater 
share of honor." We had expected to pass the night 



LASSOING A TEAM. 273 

under arms in the open country toward Buena Vista, a 
position not then selected for a battle-ground, but at 
dark, scouts coming in with the intelligence that no enemy 
was within fifty miles of us at least; we were provided 
with filthy quarters in town and slept on Christmas-night, — 
for the first time since leaving the United States, — under 
a roof. 

The next morning, it was satisfactorily ascertained that 
the Mexican army was still at San Luis, and we marched 
back to our old position near the Falomas pass. About a 
week afterward, some regiments long kept in the rear, (the 
2d and 3d Indiana and 2d Kentucky,) having arrived to claim 
places in front, we were ordered to return and garrison Mon- 
terey. The men, finding themselves deceived in the prospect 
of a battle, and disgusted with the privations of their dreary 
and miserable bivouacs among the mountains, contemplated 
their return to the cheerful and smiling valleys of Nueva 
Leon with much pleasure. On New-Year's day, 1847, we 
set out, attended hj a large train of empty wagons going 
down the line for provisions. At the moment of starting, 
one of the teams took fright, and dashed ofl' at full speed 
into the plain skirting the weooT A Mexican who happened 
to be near, with a lariat as usual hanging to his saddle-bow, 
immediately gave chase. Overtaking the runaways he dex- 
terously threw his lasso over the head of the leading mule, 
(there were five in the team ;) and then by gradually check- 
ing and turning his prize in easy circles, as a skillful angler 
would p)lay a strong fish, finally succeeded in bringing the 
fugitives back to the starting point, panting and quite sub- 



274 RETUEN TO MONTEREY. 

clued. I have never seen the lasso thrown more gracefully or 
to so good a purpose. 

"We reached Monterey on the 4th of January, in excellent 
health, after our forced marches; but sadly dej&cient in cloth- 
ing and camp equipage. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Monterey gamsoned by our regiment. — The battalion of San Patricio. — How the 
monks of San Francisco diddled us. — A few words about volunteer troops. — 
Expedition against Vera Cruz.— Arrival of General Scott in Mexico. — His letter 
to General Taylor. — Its bearer, Lieutenant Richey, killed. — The divisions of 
Worth, Twiggs and Patterson sent back to the coast. — General Taylor returns 
to Monterey. — His letter to General Scott. — Scouting parties captured by the 
enemy. — Taylor joins Wool at Saltillo.— Changes his head-quarters to Agua 
Nueva. — Reasons for taking that position. — Advance of Santa Anna. — Taylor 
falls back to Buena Vista. — Sights and sounds at Monterey. — General Urrea moves 
from Tula upon our line. — He captures Lieutenant Barbour's train.— Besieges 
Lieutenant Colonel Irvin at Marin.- — Attacks Colonel Morgan's battalion. — 
Glorious news from Buena Vista. 

The months of January and February passed rapidly 
away. "We were comfortably quartered in town, and our old 
friends of the 1st Kentucky regiment held the citadel. The 
weather was temperate and serene, and the gardens and 
environs of the city rejoiced in the gay flowers and blossoms 
of spring. The citizens, beginning to appreciate the mild 
and respectful treatment they experienced, evinced a more 
friendly disposition ; and the soldiers preserved a commend- 
able deportment, although their position was not remarkably 
favorable to discipline. It had been supposed by many, that 
the volunteers were unfit for garrison duty ; and that a life 
of comparative ease in a populous city would foster and 
strengthen the spirit of lawlessness and insubordination some 
of them had displayed. Hence the regular troops had gener- 
ally occupied the towns, while the volunteers were com- 



276 THE BATTALION OF SAN PATEICIO. 

pelled to " rough it " in the chaparral. By this procedure, 
of which no experienced volunteer officer will ever complain, 
the enemy gained rather more than was expected, namely, 
the notorious battalion of San Patricio^ made up of desert- 
ers from our regular army, who availed themselves of oppor- 
tunities presented while in garrison, to abandon the service 
of " the model republic." More than fifty deserted at Mon- 
terey, during the period it was occupied by the regulars. 
These the enemy joyfully received and speedily enrolled in 
their ranks, where they served with a courage and fidelity 
they had never exhibited in ours. Doubtless, the humblest 
soldier of the battalion of Saint Patrick, was honored with 
much consideration by the Mexicans ; and we may imagine 
that those distinctions were not lavished in vain upon the 
warm and enthusiastic nature of the Hibernian. 

So far as I am informed not a single volunteer, either 
among the native or adopted citizens, went over to the 
enemy. There were some who, voluutering in haste and 
repenting at leisure, deserted their flag before leaving the 
United States and returned to their " anxious mammas." But 
was there one so faithless to his country, as to take up arms 
in the cause of faithless Mexico ? * Nearly a third of our 
regiment were Catholics ; and among them were seventy or 
eighty gallant Irishmen, some of whom, I have reason to 
know, were proof against the fascinating lures of an insidious 
foe. When stationed in Monterey, they more than once 

* Since writing the above, I have been reminded that a lieutenant of a certain 
volunteer corps resigned with a view of joining the enemy. He left Monterey with 
tlie words ot Cataline upon his lips, — " I held some slaciv allegiance till this hour, 
but now my sword's my own." 



INFLUENCE OF THE PRIESTS. 277 

informed their officers of the presence of Mexican emissaries 
and were unusually active in their detection. According to a 
preconcerted arrangement, a noted partisan was arrested by 
the very men to whom he had made liberal and flattering 
offers of money and rank. They were all Irishmen and 
never did ferrets pursue a rat more indefatigably, than did 
they their pretended friend. He was a wily rascal and scent- 
ing his danger, had, after many windings and turnings 
ensconced himself in a bake-oven, in one of the back yards 
of the city, whence he was finally dragged by the heels and 
lodged in the guard-house. 

There can be no doubt but that the Mexican ecclesiastics, — 
monopolizing the wealth and intelligence of the country, 
fattening on the traffic in " indulgences," and many of them 
" wanton, more than well beseems men of their profession 
and degree," — knowing that even the presence of an Ameri- 
can army would be unfavorable to their interests, were our 
most bitter enemies. There are not wanting among them, 
especially in the obscure villages, truly pious priests whose 
unblemished lives aptly illustrate their holy teachings. But 
the greatest number are pampered and frantic friars, 

" Such as do build their faith upon 
The holy text of pike and gun." 

They unblushingly announced to their people, that our object 
was to make war upon their religion ; and spared no efforts 
to weaken our ranks or strengthen their own. They even 
availed themselves of the protection we always extended to 
their churches and other religious houses, to convert them 
into secret magazines for arming our enemies. A lieutenant 
13 



27S HOW THE MONKS DIDDLED US. 

of our regiment, strolling on a pleasant morning in February, 
under the walls of the Franciscan convent in Monterey, was 
astonished at observing some gunpowder sprinkled upon one 
of the window-sills next the river-bank. The guard was 
immediately called and the building searched, — but too late. 
A few scattered cartridges alone were found. But the num- 
ber of empty boxes which remained, satisfied us that a con- 
siderable quantity of arms and ammunition had been recently 
removed ; perhaps to equip the guerrillas then assembling 
in the vicinity. The heavy tread of the guard in the corri^ 
dors of the monastery, startled from their cells, some drowsy- 
looking individuals in flowing robes and skull-caps of silk ; 
whose thoughts however, just then very conveniently, hap- 
pened to be so intent upon the bliss or brimstone of another 
world, as to prevent them from accounting for the mysterious 
presence of the sublunary saliipeter. 

In consequence of the limited number of the garrison, and 
the large details often required for escorts, and daily for 
guard, fatigue and patrol duty, the men were kept suffi- 
ciently busy. Yet would our position at Monterey have 
been more pleasant, had it not been for the unnecessary labors 
and petty annoyances imposed upon the troops by certain 
individuals in authority, who did not know how to wear 
very becomingly the greatness thrust upon them. Fortu- 
nately they were not in supreme command, and could do no 
great harm to the cause of their country. But the soldiers 
and subaltern-ofiicers, whom they vexed and wearied by their 
thoughtless and ill-timed orders, were often induced thereby, 
to recall the more prudent conduct and bearing of the wise 



A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE ARMY. 279 

and modest Hamer. Had the conceited and ambitious plot- 
ters at "Washington, succeeded at that time in their ungener- 
ous and shameful eflbrts to foist a political lieutenant-general 
upon the army, the spirit of discontent, already rife in conse- 
quence of the conduct of certain favorites of the President, 
would have been so inflamed as to threaten the eflSciency, if 
not the very organization and existence of some divisions in 
the field. They err greatly, who suppose that the volunteers 
were anxious to hail any civ^ilian as their general-in-chief. 
They valued the experience of their veteran leaders too 
highly to sigh for the authority of new men ; and least of all, 
for tliat of those in whose selection they could have no voice. 
Political topics were rarely discussed in the army ; — certainly 
I never heard the terms Whig and Democrat uttered by 
the rank and file ; and notwithstanding recent political 
events, I do not doubt but that, if bur government was now 
to call out a hundred thousand volunteers for a war with any 
European nation, at least ninety -nine thousand of them 
would prefer Winfield Scott as their leader to any living man. 
When men stake their lives and reputations in war, they 
want a general of acknowledged military genius and capac- 
ity, — one who combines experience with patriotism, pru- 
dence with resolution, and wisdom with valor. They prefer 
a military to a political strategist, and look for proof of 
ability on hard-fought battle-fields rather than in long-winded 
Congregressional debates. But while it will readily be admit- 
ted that the chief even of a volunteer army, should be a man 
trained to the profession of arms ; it is questionable whether 
West Point oflacers would make the most successful regi- 



280 A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE ARMY. 

mental or company commanders of citizen troops. This 
however would depend upon the amount of good sense, tact, 
and temper they might happen to possess. With the benefit 
of their experience and example, there can be no doubt but 
that our volunteers would soon be found superior to the best 
drilled automaton armies of Europe. TJiat benefit may be 
obtained to some extent, by a union of our regular and citi- 
zen troops in the same armies, and causing them to march, 
encamp, and fight together. The American volunteer is a 
thinking, feeling, and often a capricious being. He is not 
and never intends to become a mere moving and musket- 
holding macMne / and something more than the Tactics and 
Army Regulations is required for his instruction and govern- 
ment. His patriotism, pride, ambition, and enthusiasm, may 
be so controlled and directed, as to be rendered auxiliary to 
his arms. These, united with his native courage and intelli- 
gence and a proper degree of discipline, make him the most 
formidable soldier in the world. 

The position of an officer of volunteers, elected from the 
ranks, as the majority of us were, is one of peculiar delicacy. 
While he should not allow himself to forget that he owes his 
rank and power to the kindness of those he commands, he 
must yet know now to maintain discipline and exact obedi- 
ence. He should not be eager to assert his authority on light 
occasions ; but be as ready to encourage as to find fault, and 
as mindful of the comforts as of the delinquencies of his 
men. He should know how to temper severity with indul- 
gence, and mingle afiability with authority, so as to retain a 
personal as well as an official influence over subalterns ; and 



A FEW WOKDS ABOUT THE ARMY. 281 

thus govern as much through the affections as the fears. He 
should not attempt to enforce all the minutise of military 
etiquette, but insist upon a complete observance of all the 
essentials of discipline. Above all things, he should know 
how to govern himself ; and though mild and forbearing, yet 
be prompt and resolute, when occasion demands. He must 
set an example of submission, vigilance, and zeal, in his own 
person, if he would be respected and cheerfully obeyed. 
Yolunteers are ever ready to regulate and justify their con- 
duct by that of their officers ; among them " a choleric 
word " is as " flat blasphemy " in the captain as in the 
soldier. Most men like a tranquil and even-minded officer ; 
stern and severe if necessary, but firm and unchanging. 
Indeed, a respectable dog's life, would be preferable to that 
of a soldier who is continually subjected to the caprices of 
an insolent, ignorant and irascible officer, puffed up with a 
power he knows not how to exercise. Yolunteers in taking 
the field, are apt to suppose that courage is the only essential 
quality to be desired in their leaders. Let them beware how 
they place themselves under the command of brainless bullies, 
whose vanity, arrogance, and overweening conceit, may be 
as fatal to their success and welfare as cowardice itself. 

While we garrisoned Monterey, certain important military 
events transpired, which demand a passing notice in this 
rambling narrative. Our government at length perceived, 
from the hostile tone and attitude of Santa Anna and the 
Mexican Congress, that it would be necessary to carry the 
war to the gates of the enemy's capital ere a peace could be 
obtained : " Jamais on ne vaincra les Romains que dans 



282 scott's plan of operations. 

Rome /" That grand achievement was reserved for the 
commanding genius of Scott. It was accordingly determined 
to transfer the war from the northern to the eastern part of 
Mexico, and make Vera Cruz the jpoint cCappui for future 
operations, to be directed by the masterly mind of the gen- 
eral-in-chief of the American army. As the request of that 
officer to be allowed to put his sword into the harvest of 
Mexican laurels, had previously been peremptorily refused 
by the President, some explanation of his employment at 
this period, may perhaps be found in the difficulty that had 
recently sprung up between General Taylor and the Secretary 
of "War, and which resulted in a sharp controversy, now 
included in the documentary history of the times. 

General Scott, hastening to execute the orders of the 
government, arrived at_Brazos San lago in the latter part of 
December. Being anxious to invest the city of Yera Cruz 
before the season of the deadly vomito should again occur ; 
and finding that the ten additional regiments of regulars and 
new volunteer levies, which Congress had lately called into 
service, would not reach the scene of action in time to enable 
him to accomplish that object, he determined to supply him- 
self with troops from the northern line. He accordingly 
wrote to General Taylor, revealing his plan of operations 
and requesting him to send at once to the coast, the regulars 
("Worth's and Twiggs' divisions) and enough volunteer troops 
to swell the force to 10,000. " With these forces," he con- 
cludes, " and adding three or five regiments of new volun- 
teers. Providence may defeat me, but I do not believe the 
Mexicans can." Before this dispatch arrived at Monterey, 



TKOOPS WITHDRAWN TO JOIN SCOTT. 283 

General Taylor had marched, as previously stated, to Vic- 
toria. It was immediately sent after that general ; but its 
bearer. Lieutenant Richey of the 5th Infantry, a gallant and 
meritorious young officer, was unfortunately killed in dis- 
charging the hazardous duty, and the letter found its way to 
the hands of Santa Anna. General Scott however, had 
taken the precaution to communicate his wishes to General 
Butler also : and that officer, who, since the great stamjpede 
of December had remained in command at Saltillo, lost no 
time in the absence of Taylor, in putting Worth's division in 
motion for the rear. The regulars marched through Mon- 
terey about the middle of January en route, for the Brazos, 
much to the satisfaction of the Mexican citizens, some of 
whom but ill concealed the pleasure caused by their depart- 
ure. General Taylor, soon after his arrival at Victoria, 
having been advised of the orders of the general -in -chief, 
sent forward to Tampico the regulars of Twiggs and the 
volunteer brigades of Quitman and Pillow. Thus the entire 
force intended for the descent upon Vera Cruz was enabled 
to reach the general rendevous behind the island of Lobos, 
before the end of February. General Taylor now, for tho 
want of troops, was compelled to abandon his design of occu- 
pying the line of the Sierra Madre. He was not able to 
leave a garrison at that important point, Victoria ; of which 
circumstance the Mexican corps of observation at the pass of 
Tula soon availed itself.* 

* In a Mexican field-report, (for Febuary) of Santa Anna's forces, the strength 
of this division of observation is given as follows, — 

Infantry — of General Vasquez; 11 chiefs, 117 officers, and 1655 privates. 
Cavalry — of General Urrea; 8 do. 95 do. 2121 do. 

Total of Division 19 do. 212 do. 3776 do. 



284 Taylor's position. 

On the 24th of January, General Taylor returned to Mon- 
terey, bringing with him the light artillery companies of 
Captains Bragg and Sherman, which he had fortunately 
reserved. Washington's and "Webster's batteries had also 
been retained with General \Yool's brigade at Saltillo. With- 
out these, Buena Yista would not occupy the proud eminence 
it now does, in the column of American victories. Taylor 
encamped as usual in the grove of San Domingo, with a 
small quarter-guard. Ilis presence again restored confi- 
dence ; and all the uncomfortable apprehensions aroused by 
the departure of so large a portion of the army from our line, 
disappeared at his coming. Stripped of his veteran infantry, 
and left with a little band of volunteers to struggle with the 
twenty thousand Mexican troops, soon to be precipitated upon 
him ; he was yet as calm and undismayed as if threatened 
only by a summer shower. He says in a letter to Major 
General Scott, written about this time, — "I feel that I have 
lost the confidence of the government, or it would not have 
suflered me to remain up to this time ignorant of its inten- 
tions, when so vitally afiecting the interests committed to my 
charge. But however much I may feel, personally, mortified 
and outraged at the course pursued, unprecedented at least in 
our own history, I will carry out in good faith, while I remain 
in Mexico, the views of the government, though I may be 
sacrificed in the efibrt." 

There is no period in the history of General Taylor more 
interesting than this, replete, as his whole career is, with 
honorable deeds, and instructive examples of patriotic and 
self-sacrificing magnanimity. View him in his tent at San 



Taylor's head-quaeters moved to saltillo. 285 

Domingo, patiently bearing the burden of neglect and injus- 
tice, calmly submitting to the behests of his official superiors ; 
and with a placid courage, and unshaken loyalty, preparing 
to take his place, " in the forefront of the hottest battle," — 
and his character assumes a grandeur, which all his victories 
alone could not bestow. It was expected that he would now 
abandon his advanced post, Saltillo, and concentrate his few 
and scattered regiments within the strong walls of Monterey. 
But to have done so would neither have contributed to the 
honor of his arms or the interests of his country. A retreat 
generally proclaims weakness or timidity ; and does not fail 
to encourage the enemy, while it disheartens the troops who 
are compelled to give ground.* General Taylor wisely 
decided to meet Santa Anna on the edge of the desert that 
stretches between San Luis de Potosi and the Angostura ; 
and fight his exhausted troops before they could reach the 
granaries of Saltillo. Had the Mexicans been permitted to 
pass the mountains, the fruits of our victory at Monterey 
would have been lost. With their large cavalry force, and 
by the extraordinary rapidity of their infantry marches, they 
would have swept all the feeble posts on our line back to the 
Brazos. 

General Taylor remained but a week at Monterey, after 
his return from Yictoria, namely, from the 24th to the 31st 
of January. On the day last named, he changed his head- 



* " At the commencement of a campaign, to a<h)ancc or not to advance, is a mat- 
ter for grave consideration ; but when once the offensive has been assumed, it 
must be sustained to the last extremity. However skillful the maneuvers in a 
retreat, it will always weaken the morale of an army, because in losing the 
chances of success, these last are transferred to the enemy." — Napoleon's " Maxims 
of TFizr." 



286 taylok's advance to agua nueva. 

quarters to Saltillo, in consequence of the startling intelli- 
gence received from General Wool, that two reconuoitering 
parties of the Kentucky and Arkansas cavalry under Majors 
Gaines and Borland, had been captured by the enemy. Soon 
afterward, on the 5th of February, in order to restore confi- 
dence among the troops, which had been a little shaken by the 
disasters just mentioned, he established his camp at Agua 
Nueva, a position eighteen miles in front of Saltillo. From 
that camp he wrote as follows to the government : "Although 
advised by Major General Scott to evacuate Saltillo, I am 
confirmed in my purpose of holding not only that point, but 
this position in its front. Not to speak of the pernicious 
moral effect upon volunteer troops of falling back from points 
which we have gained, there are powerful military reasons 
for occupying this extremity of the pass rather than the other. 
The scarcity of water and supplies for a long distance in 
front, compels the enemy either to risk an engagement in the 
field, or to hold himself aloof from us ; while, if we fell back 
upon Monterey, he could establish himself strong at Saltillo, 
and be in position to annoy more effectually our flanks and 
our communications." The American army assembled at 
Agua Nueva consisted of the 1st and 2d regiments of Llinois, 
the 1st Mississippi, the 2d Kentucky, the 2d and 3d Indiana, 
of Infantry ; two squadrons of regular Dragoons and the 
Kentucky and Arkansas Horse ; together with four batteries 
of light artillery ; comprising in all about 5000 men. Of 
these, but few had ever been in action ; some too were 
undrilled, and many of the cavalry companies wretchedly 
mounted. 



TAYLOR OCCUPIES BUENA VISTA. 287 

In garrison at Monterey, under General Marshall, were the 
1st Kentucky and 1st Ohio regiments, mustering together an 
eftective force of 800 men. Below Monterey, at the posts of 
Marin, Cerralvo, and Punta Agnada, was the 2d Ohio regi- 
ment, in detachments under its three field-officers. At Mier 
and Camargo, were the 3d Ohio and 1st Indiana regiments. 

Such were the positions of our troops on the 21st of 
February, 1847, when General Taylor was induced, by the 
information brought him by that trusty and accomplished 
scout, Captain McCulloch, to change his ground from Agua 
Nueva to the gorge of Bueiia Vista. As my object is not 
to wTite a history of the war, but simply to relate a few inci- 
dents of the campaign concerning which I have some per- 
sonal knowledge, — introducing such others, as may be well 
authenticated and necessary to form a connected narrative ; — • 
I shall not presumptuously attempt to describe how 20,000 
troops, the flower of the Mexican nation and assembled under 
the banner of their most popular chief, were disgracefully 
routed by the handful of men whom General Taylor set in 
battle array on that memorable field. The story has been 
often told at length, by the graphic and graceful pens of eye- 
witnesses and is yet fresh in the minds of American readers. 
I propose here, to give some account of minor cotemporary 
events, with which I claim to be more familiar. 

General Santa Anna, well informed by his numerous spies, 
and the intercepted dispatches, of all the movements that 
had taken place on our line, did not, as many predicted he 
would, hasten to succor the menaced city of Vera Cruz ; but 
anticipating an easy victory over Taylor, he issued a stirring 



288 SANTA ANNA MARCHES FROM SAN LUIS DE P0T08I. 

proclamation to his soldiers, and on the 28th of January 
marched from San Luis de Fotosi toward Saltillo.* About 
the same time, the Mexican corps of observation was ordered 
to debouch from the pass of Tula, and at the proper moment 
fall upon our flanks, prevent the passage of supplies and 
reinforcements to the front, and be in position to cut off Tay- 
lor's hcaten and retreating 'battalions. This division, as we 
have already shown from a field report, consisted of about 

* I append the document, as a fair sample of the military papers of " the Napo- 
leon" oi Mexico. It is translated from a copy found in Monterey. 

" Companions in Arms: The operations of the enemy require us to move precipi- 
tately on their principal line, and we are about to do it. The independence, the 
honor and the destinies of the nation depend on this movement and your decision. 
Soldiers! the entire world is observing us, and it is obligatory on you that your 
deeds should be as heroic as they are necessary. From the neglect with which 
you have been treated by those whose duty it is to aid you, privations of all kinds 
await you ; but when has want weakened your spirits or debilitated your enthusi- 
asm ! The Me.xican soldier is well known for his frugality and capability of suf- 
ferance. Never does he need magazines or provisions, when about to pass tho 
deserts ; but he has always an eye to the resources of his enemy to supply his 
wants. To-morrow you commence your march through a thinly settled country, 
without provisions; but you may be assured that very quickly you will be in pos- 
session of those of your enemy, and his riches ; and with them all your wants will 
be superabundantly gratified. 31y friends! we are about to open the campaign, and 
who can tell how many days of glory await us! What a perspective, so lull of 
hope for our country ! What satisfaction you will feel when you have saved our 
independence ; when you shall be the objects of admiration for the whole world, 
and our own country shall shower blessings on your heads ! When again in the 
bosoms of your families, you shall relate your dangers, your combats, and your 
triumphs over your daring presumptuous foe ; when you tell your children that you 
have given them their country a second time, your jubilee will be complete. Sol- 
diers! the cause we sustain is holy ; our honor, our religion, our wives, our chil- 
dren ! What sacrifices are too great for objects so dear ? Let us conquer or die ! 
Let us swear before the Eternal, that we will not rest one instant until we com- 
pletely wipe away from our soil the vainglorious foreigner who has dared to pollute 
it with his presence. No terms with him. Nothing lor us but heroism and gran - 
deur !" 

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, 
General-in-chief of the "Army of the North." 

Head-Quarters, San Luis de Potosi, 
January 27, 1847. 



AFFAIKS IN MONTEREY. 289 

two thousand cavalry under General Urrea and sixteen hun- 
dred infantry under General Yasquez.* It was soon rumored 
at Monterey, that a large force had entered the valley, and 
was moving upon our line; but being unprovided with cav- 
alry, we were unable to learn anything definite concerning 
its strength, position, or designs. The citizens, whose con- 
duct at once underwent a change, could not be prevailed 
upon to disclose any particulars , and in their dealings with 
us, they assumed a less gracious air and bearing, as if pre- 
paring for our defeat. At one time it was rumored that 
Santa Anna's whole army had come through the Tula pass 
and were in rapid march upon Monterey. Our suspicions 
that some hostile movement was about to be executed, were 
confirmed by the continued departure of families from the 
town ; the few schools it contained were broken up and the 
children removed to distant villages. Before the 22d of Feb- 
ruary, Monterey was like a city of the dead. I do not 
believe that there were ten Mexicans who remained within 
its walls. I^ot one was to be seen abroad in any quarter. 
Never was a city so rapidly and completely evacuated by its 
inhabitants of all classes. Every house was closed and the 
intense silence that reigned day and night over its empty 
streets and vacant plazas, was alone broken at intervals by 



* I have never been able to ascertain with certainty, whether the infantry of Vas- 
quez entered the tierra calicnlc with Urrea's brigade of cavalry. It was never dis- 
played before any of our posts, and the probability is that it joined Santa Anna in 
his march to Buena Vista. An intercepted letter however, from a Mexican officer 
to his wife in Monterey, requesting her to leave the city, as it would soon be 
attacked by a column of 5000 men, caused some to infer that the entire division of 
observation, swelled to the number stated by rancheros, was at Montemorelas 
about the middle of February. 



290 AFFAIRS IN MONTEKEY. 

the firm tread of its determined little garrison. Beacon fires 
were nightly flaming on the lofty peaks of the Sierra Madre; 
a primitive mode of telegraphing for which the country is 
well adapted. The gloom of approaching danger was the 
more oppressive, because its position and extent were un- 
known. Every possible precaution was taken against sur- 
prise. A careful watch was maintained upon all the roads 
leading to the city, and the highest officers relieved each 
other in mounting guard at night. All the public stores 
were removed to the citadel, which fortress, under the super- 
intendence of Captain Frazier of the Engineers, had been 
much strengthened since it fell into our hands. The 1st 
Kentucky regiment lay in the work, while ours remained in 
the town. For more than a week preceding the battle of 
Buena Vista, (23d of February,) and indeed for several days 
succeeding it, we did not take off our boots or clothes, but 
remained under arms day and night. Such restless vigilance 
was more harassing than bodily fatigue. Stamjpedes were of 
frequent occurrence ; and at the first sound of the "long- 
roll," every man hastened to the post assigned him, either 
upon the house-tops or at the barricades of the Plaza Mayor ^ 
which quarter of the town alone, our force was sufficient to 
hold. 

Up to the 24th of February, no very satisfactory informa- 
tion was received at Monterey, of the movements of the 
enemy. It was evident however, from the non-arrival of 
couriers, that our line of communication had been cut both 
above and below us. On the 23d, a lieutenant of our regi- 
ment who had gone to the summit of the mountain behind 



THE MEXICANS INVEST MAKIN. 291 

the city, to recouuoiter the surrounding country, returned 
with the intelligence, that while in that elevated position he 
had heard two faint reports of artillery in the direction of 
Saltillo, As a sharp-eared sentinel at the citadel had also 
heard the same sounds, we were convinced that a battle was 
progressing in front. But General Taylor's position, at the 
last account, being distant at least eighty miles by the road, 
and perhaps fifty in an air line, many were disposed to enter- 
tain the painful belief, that he was retiring before the enemy 
toward La Rincouada. 

About the same time, General Urrea, doubtless informed 
that Santa Anna had commenced operations in front, pre- 
sented himself upon our line, with all his regular cavalry 
and a large body of rancheros under General Can ales. He 
invested Marin, garrisoned by a part of the 2d Ohio regi- 
ment under Lieutenant-Colonel Irvin,with eight hundred 
horse : with as many more he fell upon one of our trains 
near Eamas, killing about fifty of the wagoners and captur- 
ing the escort, which consisted of thirty soldiers of the 1st 
Kentucky regiment under Lieutenant Barbour. A part of 
his force was also thrown between Colonel Morgan's detach- 
ment at Cerralvo and Major Wall's at Punta Aguada. 

On the morning of the 21:th of February, the painful uncer- 
tainty and suspense which had so long prevailed at Mon- 
terey were partially dispelled. A messenger arrived from 
Lieutenant-Colonel Irvin, stating that the enemy had been 
i'jY some time in force around Marin ; that the little garrison 
was much harassed by the close siege and desultory attacks 
of the foe ; that their ammunition was failing rapidly and 



292 COLONEL MORGAN KE ACHES MARIN. 

that assistance would be acceptable. Colonel Ormsby of the 
1st Kentucky regiment, who had recently assumed command 
at Monterey, promptly dispatched Major Shepherd of his 
regiment, with a mixed command of five companies and two 
field-pieces, to Irvin's relief.* Major Shepherd marched at 
noon, and reached Marin at 9 P. M., the enemy suffering 
him to enter the place without opposition. The next day 
(25th) the Mexican cavalry were withdrawn from the vicinity 
of the town, and the now united commands of Irvin and 
Shepherd started to return to Monterey. General Urrea, 
instead of opposing, would I suppose, cheerfully have hast- 
ened their departure ; since he must have been advised of 
the advance of a smaller detachment under Colonel Morgan, 
which he could attack advantageously, only before it formed 
a junction with the American troops at Marin. Colonel 
Morgan, having been ordered to concentrate the 2d Ohio 
regiment, and march to Monterey, had called up Major Wall's 
command from Punta Aguada and set out from Cerralvo on 
the 24th of February. He marched that day and the follow- 
ing night with but few brief halts, and arrived at Marin soon 
after the departure of Lieutenant-Colonel Irvin, who, it 
seems, was unapprised of his approach. 

Early on the 25th, a solitary Kentucky volunteer staggered 
into Monterey, nearly dead with fatigue and hunger. He 
brought us the first account of the capture of Lieutenant Bar- 
bour's train ; stating that he believed he was the only soldier 

* This detachment was composed of the following companies : — Captains Trip- 
lett's, Bullen's and Kearn's of the 1st Kentucky regiment ; Captains Bradley's and 
Vandever's of the 1st Ohio regiment ; a few files of Kentucky cavalry under Lieu- 
tenant Patterson ; two four-pounders, with squads of volunteer artillerists. 



UEREA ATTACKS MOKGAn's TROOPS. 293 

of the escort who had escaped, and that all the drivers 
had been massacred and horribly mutilated by the enemy. 
Shortly afterward a few teamsters came straggling in, breath- 
less with terror and covered with wounds. They had been 
hunted far and hotly through the chaparral, by Urrea's men, 
and had escaped by avoiding the road and rauchos, and 
making a detour around Marin. In addition to these, it was 
afterward ascertained that twenty-live drivers and wagon- 
masters had succeeded in joining Colonel Morgan's advanc- 
ing command. Among the fugitives was a negro-boy, who, 
with eyes protruding and wool almost " on end at his own 
wonders," narrated his hair-breadth escape. The Lancers had 
gashed him severely, or, to use his own very expressive 
words, " Dem Lanceers plugged into me, jes as if I was a 
green water-million." 

Before dark on the 25th, Major Shepherd, attended by a 
score of officers and men, returned with the information that 
he had relieved Irvin, and that the remainder of the detach- 
ment were en route and would probably reach Monterey 
early that night. Fortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Irvin did 
not make such rapid progress as was anticipated, but biv- 
ouacked eight miles from town, not far from San Francisco ; 
for scarcely had he resumed his march on the morning of the 
26th, when he was overtaken by Lieutenant Stewart of his 
own regiment, who being well mounted had gallantly and 
successfully dashed through the enemy's line, with the 
information that Colonel Morgan with the remainder of the 
2d Ohio regiment, was surrounded by Urrea's troops a short 
distance from Agua Frio. Irvin's command immediately 
13* 



294 NEWS FEOM BUENA VISTA. 

turned back, and with the aid of the artillery soon succeeded 
in extricating his Colonel (Morgan,) who in the course of his 
march from Marin had been repeatedly assaulted by the ene- 
my. The intelligence was also forwarded to Monterey, and 
in less than ten minutes after its arrival, two hundred men of 
the 1st Ohio regiment set out for the scene of action. Being 
unincumbered with aught save their arms, and stimulated by 
the perilous condition of their friends of the 2d regiment, the 
men strode lightly and quickly forward; and marched to 
San Francisco (four leagues) in two hours. At that village, 
we met Colonel Morgan's regiment, and those of our own 
corps who had aided him in shaking off the pertinacious foe ; 
among whom were distinguished Captain Bradley and Ser- 
geant Howell, — the latter commanding one of the volunteer 
gun-squads. After exchanging hearty congratulations with 
our gallant friends of the 2d Ohio regiment, whom we had 
not seen for more than six months, we fell into the rear 
of the weary column and slowly retraced our steps to Monte- 
rey. The garrisons having been thus, with much peril and 
some loss, withdrawn from the three posts of Marin, Cerral- 
vo and Punta Aguada, the enemy obtained temporary pos- 
session of the country between Monterey and Camargo. 

It was not until after these affairs, just described, that we 
received the glad tidings of the battle and victory of Buena 
Vista ; and over which we rejoiced and lamented by turns, 
as the messenger described each charge and repulse ; and 
told how, for so many long hours the fortunes of our coun- 
trymen, who had been compelled to fight with the despera- 
tion of men, " whose only safety was in the despair of safe- 



KETKEAT OF THE MEXICANS FROM BUENA VISTA. 295 

tj," had trembled in the balance. Every allusion to " Old 
Rough and Ready," — from his heroic reply to Santa Anna's 
summons at the commencement of the action, to his memora- 
ble order, " A little more grape Captain Bragg," at its close, 
was received with shouts and tears of joy. We immediately 
fired salutes and rang the long silent bells of the city in 
honor of the glorious achievement. In a few days the citi- 
zens began to return to their homes and property, looking — 
much to our amusement — quite disappointed and crest-fallen. 
After one of the most lamentable retreats recorded in his- 
tory, — and in which the Mexican writers confess that he lost 
from desertion and death in every horrible form, ten thous- 
and five hundred men, — General Santa Anna re-entered San 
Luis de Potosi on the 9th of March. "We were soon after- 
ward informed, by a person who traveled from San Luis to 
Monterey, that the dead were strewed along the road for sixty 
leagues. But while we may well exult in the heroism of our 
troops and skill of our oflicers, the impartial observer of these 
events, must also respect and admire the valor and patriotism 
with which our enemies, undismayed by a series of disas- 
trous defeats, prepared to continue the war. Look for ex- 
ample at the alacrity and fortitude with wdiich Santa Anna's 
shattered battalions, yet bleeding from the wounds of Buena 
Vista, hastened to meet the army of General Scott and to 
incur new disasters at Cerro Gorda. 



CHAPTER X. 

Bearers of dispatches from head-quarters arrive. — We prepare to escort them to 
Camargo. — A train tacked on. — Description of the convoy. — Appearance of the 
country and villages. — The Massacre near Ramas. — The affair with the Mexi- 
can cavalry at Cerralvo.— General Urrea retreats to Tamaulipas. — Friendly 
reception by the citizens of Cerralvo.— Pronunciamiento of the teamsters. — Arri- 
val of Colonel Curtis' command. — We resume our march to Camargo. — Fortifi- 
cations of that town.— Another march to Monterey. — Mustang Gray. — Whole- 
sale slaughter of rancheros near Marin. 

The long suspension of communication between Head- 
Quarters and the coast, caused much apprehension in the 
United States for the safety of General Taylor's army. Re- 
ports of the capture of the Arkansas and Kentucky scouting 
parties in the vicinity of Encarnacion, the advance of Santa 
Anna's host, and the assembling of the rancheros with 
Urrea's corps in the lower country, had spread through the 
Union and awakened the most painful solicitude, which in 
those days of mail-coaches and pony-expresses^ was not dis- 
pelled for many weeks. Colonel Curtis of the 3d Ohio regi- 
ment, being the senior officer on the Rio Grande, consider- 
ing the perilous position of our troops, thought it advisable 
in the emergency to call upon the adjacent states for volun- 
teers. Each anxious day deepened the gloom that rested 
upon the public mind. But thanks to an all-wise Providence 
who guided and guarded our arms, the sun of victory arose 
at last, aud with a radiance the more brilliant and dazzling 
from the preceding darkness. 



BEARERS OF DISPATCHES ESCORTED TO CAMARGO. 2^ 

On the 3d of March, Mr. Crittenden, volunteer aidde- 
camp, and Major CojBfee of the pay department, arrived at 
Monterey on their way to Washington. They were the 
bearers of those dispatches from Buena Yista, which, while 
they excited the admiration and called forth the gratitude of 
the nation, carried desolation and mourning to many a home 
and heart. That night, an order was received by the Major 
commanding the 1st Ohio regiment, to march on the follow- 
ing day to Camargo, with five companies of infantry and 
two light pieces, as an escort to the bearers of dispatches. 
"Wearied by inaction and the monotony of garrison life, that 
ofiicer had long desired such an opportunity for employing his 
men ; and for that and other reasons, he prepared to execute 
his commission with no ordinary zeal and pleasure. Know- 
ing that his march would be opposed by General Urrea — per- 
haps daily harassed by the attacks of the light squadrons of 
the enemy — and that much would depend on celerity of 
movement, he had determined not to encumber his troops 
with more than their blankets, and provisions barely suffi- 
cient for the journey. With this compact little escort, ho 
felt assured that the merely mounted force of the Mexicans, 
could not compel him even to halt or cliange the order in 
which he proposed to march. The companies — who had all 
now acquired the discipline and weather-beaten aspect of 
veterans — burned for another fight before their term of ser- 
vice should expire, and pleasantly contended with each other 
for places in the expedition. But as two companies of our 
regiment had been detailed for the previous enterprise under 
Major Shepherd, the Kentucky regiment reasonably claimed 



298 A WAGON TKAIN TACKED ON. 

that two of theirs should be attached to this command. The 
detachment therefore was organized as follows : three compa- 
nies of the 1st Ohio regiment under Captains Bradley, Arm- 
strong, and Keneally ; two companies of the 1st Kentucky 
regiment under Captains Howe and Fuller; and two gun- 
squads, each with a four-pounder, commanded by Lieutenant 
McCarter and Sergeant William Howell of the 1st Ohio regi- 
ment, both of whom were skilled in the exercise of artillery. 
Our assistant surgeon. Dr. Heigh way, also accompanied the 
party, which comprised in all, about two hundred and fifty 
fighting men, whose strength was augmented by the resolute 
spirit with which they sought the hazardous service. It was 
a well-appointed escort ; and its commander, — knowing his 
men and confidently relying upon their endurance and cour- 
age, — had assured Messrs. Crittenden and Coffee that they 
would reach Camargo in five days. But unfortunately, just 
as we were about to start from Monterey on the 4th of March, 
an immense number of wagons were descried approaching 
the city on the Saltillo road. It proved to be a train, made 
up chiefly of wagons which had accompanied General Wool's 
column in its long march from San Antonio, — now going to 
the rear for supplies. Much to our dissatisfaction, the escort 
was immediately ordered to delay its march until the follow- 
ing day in order to convoy the train. This at once changed 
the aspect of afiairs, and gave a different character to the 
detachment. Its commanding ofiicer, though impressed with 
the belief that his force was entirely inadequate for the pro- 
tection of so large a train, was not disposed to avoid the 
additional responsibility so unexpectedly thrust upon him ; 



DESCKIPTION OF THE CONVOY. 299 

and contented himself with replying that this new arrange- 
ment would probably result in the detention of important 
dispatches on the route, longer than was expected, and that 
he hoped his force would not be held accountable for the 
safety of the entire train. It was supposed however, by the 
officer commanding at Monterey, that General Urrea, learn- 
ing the result of the battle of Buena Vista had withdrawn 
from the line ; or that remaining, he would not be tempted 
by empty wagons to make an attack which promised more 
blows than booty. The number of the detachment therefore, 
was not increased, — except by the addition of a dozen Ar- 
kansas horsemen under Lieutenant Thompson. But the com- 
panies composing the escort or convoy^ were made up of men 
who would stand by their officers to the death ; and we left 
Monterey with the determination, that, though some public 
property might be lost on the way, honor should be saved, 
and if possible, some glory won. 

In surveying the apparently interminable string of wagons 
which, on the 5tli of March, followed us from the city and 
stretched for miles over the plain, I must confess that, much 
as General Taylor had complained of their scarcity, I hearti- 
ly wished them all with Pharaoh's chariots, — at the bottom 
of the Ued Sea. It was the largest train that ever passed 
over the road ; and consisted of at least one hundred and fifty 
wagons, with perhaps seven hundred animals in harness, — 
many of them wild and stubborn Mexican mules. The ordi- 
nary difficulties attending the movement of such a train, 
even through a friendly country and under the most favorable 
circumstances, would vex a Job-like temper and patience. 



300 DESCKIPTION OF THE CONVOY. 

But when it is remembered that there were more than a thou- 
sand active enemies upon the route ; that the train when 
extended and in motion, must be nearly or quite two miles 
in length ; that there was no military organization and but 
little subordination among the drivers; that the road for 
much of the distance was closely hedged in by dense thickets, 
most suitable and convenient for ambuscading, while it was 
only at rare and distant intervals in the chaparral that the 
wagons could be parked; the disadvantages under which the 
escort labored will be apparent. With the prospect of an 
action with a strong cavalry force, to have scattered a small 
body of infantry around so large a mass would have endan- 
gered the whole. The detachment was therefore divided into 
but two parties ; — three companies marching in front and two 
in the rear of the train, each having a piece of artillery, 
which, had the country been more open, would have aflforded 
prompt and efficient protection to the flanks. It was evident 
however, that a vigorous assault on judiciously selected 
ground, by an enemy numerically so superior would result in 
the destruction of some portion of the train. The drivers 
who had escaped the massacre at llamas, had already by 
their accounts of it, so terrified their fellows, that most of 
them were prepared to desert their teams at the first sign of 
danger. A number of clerks, camp-followers, and other 
Americans not connected with the army, alarmed at the 
threatening aspect of afiairs in Mexico, availed themselves of 
the protection of our escort to leave the country. These 
being poorly armed and undisciplined would have embar- 
rassed, rather than have aided the detachment, had not Mr. 



THE APPEAKANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 

Crittenden undertaken the diflacult task of making them 
march at least, in some order. He so far succeeded, that an 
enemy reconnoiteriug us from afar, would perhaps have sup- 
posed them to be a formidable body of Rangers. Among 
those who solicited permission to accompany the train was 
a Mr. E,***j a genuine Yankee, who had long resided at 
Durango, where he had been engaged in some manufactur- 
ing enterprise. His party consisted of his wife, two or three 
children, and a friend who had been employed in the same 
business with himself. It was represented to him that the 
Mexican troops were on the road, and would probably fight 
a small force ; and that he had better remain until the line 
was re-opened. But as he had been detained at Saltillo dur- 
ing the battle of Buena Vista, — much to the terror of his^^" 
family, — he was determined not to make another halt south 
of " the little town of Bosting ;" and accepting the risk, con- 
cluded to march with us. 

A poor account of the poor country between Monterey and 
Camargo has been given in a previous chapter. Its appear- 
ance was now rather less attractive, if possible, from the 
absence of water. During the six months that had elapsed 
since we first marched over it, scarcely a cloud had floated in 
the sky. Parched by the hot suns, the shrub-covered hills 
and plains had assumed a brown and fading hue, the gaudy 
flowers of the cactus and variegated convolvuli had disap- 
peared from the valleys, and many of the streams which at 
the period of our upward march had been both broad and 
deep, were now " consumed out of their places." But unlike 
"the troops of Tema" and "the companies of Sheba," we 
14 



302 AKKIVE AT AGUA FKIO. 

neither looked nor waited for "the deceitful brooks;" and 
sometimes traveled an entire day without water, 
. In consequence of the usual delays in starting from Mon- 
terey, it was late on the 5th when we reached Agua Frio, 
where we established ourselves for the night. The train was 
securely parked in the bend of a deep barranca or ravine ; 
and every arrangement made to guard against any meditated 
surprise or sudden assault, from which alone any serious 
danger was apprehended. The wagons, when halted around 
our camp, instead of requiring protection rather afforded it 
to us, while, at the same time, they were in a position to be 
effectually sheltered by our arms. It was only when in mo- 
tion and winding its slow length over the rough hilly road, 
• and but a small part of the train could be seen from any one 
point of view, that it invited attack. The village of Agua 
Frio was deserted by its inhabitants ; and we were somewhat 
surprised to find in one of the vacant houses, four mus- 
tangs, bridled and saddled for the read ; and which probably 
belonged to some of Urrea's spies lurking in the neigh- 
borhood. 

Many articles, of but little value however, plundered from 
Lieutenant Barbour's train, were discovered in the hamlet ; 
which circumstance, some persons with the detachment (not 
soldiers) would have made the pretext for the commission of 
excesses, but being promptly arrested they were careful not 
to betray any lawless designs during the remainder of the 
march. With our own men, the commander, had every rea- 
son to be satisfied. They were obedient, patient and coura- 
geous ; and too deeply impressed with the responsibility and 



SCENE OF THE MASSACRE NEAR KAMAS. 303 

dangers of the expedition, to indulge in the usual levities and 
petty maraudings. 

The second day, notwithstanding the many breakings of 
harness and wagons, and indeed many of the villainous mules 
had to be broken afresh every morniug, we traveled with 
uncommon swiftness, and passing through Marin and llamas, 
at nightrall bivouacked at Papagallos. Towns and ranches 
were all deserted, and not a Mexican was seen in the course 
of the day's march. A suspicious silence reigned over the 
whole country ; and but few now doubted that the enemy 
was prepared at some point to dispute our progress. The 
complete abandonment of the villages was partly explained 
by the shocking spectacle that met our gaze as we descended 
into a deep and narrow valley near llamas. It was the scene 
of the massacre ten days previous, (24:th of February,) and 
the inhabitants of that region had doubtless fled from the 
retribution which they feared it would provoke. The ground 
for the attack on Lieutenant Barbour's little command, had 
been well selected by the enemy. The valley is inclosed by 
lofty ridges, over wdiich, on either side, the road passes by a 
rough and abrupt ascent. It is so intersected by ravines, cut 
by the rains in their passage from the hills, as to make the 
progress of a train through it slow and difficult. The 
unfortunate party had been permitted to enter the valley, and 
when involved among the ravines and thickets, were sud- 
denly and furiously assailed by the Mexicans who had been 
stationed in ambush. The startled escort, taken by surprise, 
was almost immediately surrounded by ten times its number 
and forced to capitulate without firing a shot. But no quar- 



304 SCENE OF THE MASSACEE NEAR KAMAS. 

ter bad been given to tbe drivers, — tbe bodies of more than 
fifty of wbom still lay festering there ; naked, bloated and 
blackened by sun and fire. Some of them, after being 
smeared with tar, had been burnt to a crisp upon the wagons. 
Others, frightfully mangled with wounds, had been placed in 
an erect position with pieces of their own flesh thrust into 
their mouths. The hearts of some had been torn from their 
breasts, and suspended upon the bushes or left to roast upon 
the rocks, reminding us of the revolting sacrifices of the 
Aztecs to the Sun. Indeed such barbarous atrocities could 
only have been perpetrated by the progeny of those cannibals 
and the cruel torturers of Gautemozin.* The efiluvia arising 

* It has been supposed by many persons that these barbarities were committed 
by the semi-savage rancheros of Canales alone. In the Mexican " Notes of the 
War," — a work to which I have often heretofore referred, — a chapter is devoted to 
the guerrilla operations both on the lines of Scott and Taylor ; from which I quote 
the subjoined extract to show that officers of rank and troops of the line were 
present at, if not actual participators in this merciless butchery. Let it be remem- 
bered that the enemy commenced this sort of warfare. Their historian does not 
deny it ; but after remarking that, — " this kind of hostilities the Americans called 
barbarous," — he hastens lamely to justify them by adding, — "but they soon estab- 
lished the same on their side." General Urrea was undoubtedly the commander- 
in-chief of all the Mexican troops north of the Sierra Madre at the time. He, I 
believe, is generally known as the executioner of Fanning's Texans. The 
Iturbide mentioned in the following extract is a son of the ill-star'd Emperor ol 
that name, and is also well known in the cities of the United States. It is believed 
that the name of Lambert is a misprint, and should be " Langberg ;" at least it is 
so written by that officer hitaself in a certain considerate and modest billet now in 
my possession. He is probably a German, and takes pains to announce himself 
" a foreign officer," in the note which will be given to the reader on a subsequent 
page of these Memoirs. After describing the guerrillas on the Vera Cruz line, 
under the famous Padre Jaurauta and Robollcdo, the Mexican historian writes as 
follows : — 

" The guerillas of Tamaulipas were recruited from the rancheros of the villas 
and were commanded by Canales ; along with the squadrons of Guanajuato, of 
Allende and Fieles de Guanajuato, commanded by Generals Urrea and Romaro. 
They had under them likewise, several officers of the army of the line, such as 
Emelio Lambert, Augustin Ricoy, Augustin Iturbide, Pantaleon Gutierrez, and 



BIVOUAC AT PAPAGALLOS. 305 

from the mass of putrefaction tainted the atmosphere to the 
summits of the hills bordering the valley. The road was marked 
for a considerable distance with the dead bodies of men, the 
carcases of mules and pieces of the wagons, which had been 
broken up and partly burned to avoid detection and recovery. 
The fugitives had evidently been hotly pursued and some of 
them were slain far from the train. At one place even 
beyond the valley, I saw the half of a human head, which 
had been cleft from the crown downward, lying in the road 
at a great distance from any corpse. The face was upturned 
to the sun, and the shrunken and ghastly features, caused some 
stanch old horses of the passing escort to snort and tremble 
with fright. 

Altogether the scene was one of the wildest savagery ; and 
the terrible bloodshed it provoked, of which the reader will 
be informed at the close of this chapter, may perhaps, to 
some minds, " prove but a jest," when " exampled by this 
heinous spectacle." 

It has been stated that we bivouacked the second night of the 
march at Papagallos. As at Agua Frio, the ground was 
carefully selected, and the camp a strong one, — the wagons 
being parked around a low but steep conical hill, to the com- 
manding summit of which the artillery was dragged by hand. 



others. They passed from Tula to the State of New Leon, making marches and 
countermarches to surprise detachments of the enemy. On the 24th of February, 
1847, they attacked a convoy and captured 121 wagons loaded with clothes and 
provisions ; and 137 mules also loaded with clothes, besides leaving many killed, 
wounded, dispersed and prisoners taken ; breaking up the force that accompanied 
the train which exceeded 300 men. War made systematically by guerrillas, 
appears to us would in the long run have ruined the enemy and given success to 
the Republic." 



306 BETWEEN PAPAGALLOS AND CEREALVO. 

The dreadful objects passed during tlie day, and the prospect 
of a conflict before reaching Camargo, afforded topics for 
conversation to the men who sat around their fires cooking, 
or cleaning the dust from their arms. It was late in the 
night before silence stole over the camp ; and toward dawn 
it was again broken by the clatter of hoofs on the road in 
advance of our position ; which sounds, the oflficer of the 
guard reasonably supposed, proceeded from a scouting party 
of the enemy. These increasing signs of danger, caused 
uneasiness for the safety of the wagons alone. The troops 
were abundantly able to protect themselves from many times 
their number of Mexican cavalry ; but the experience and 
observation of the two past days had convinced us that the 
train when in motion, was never in any other than a bad 
position and only perfectly safe when closed in mass. But 
the interminable thickets which skirted the road, — while they 
were intersected by many paths and little glades favorable to 
the operations of an attacking party, — presented but few 
openings spacious enough to contain our wagons. Especially 
is this the case between Papagallos and Cerralvo, a distance 
of twenty-eight miles, which we marched on the third day, 
Tth of March. The solitary rivulet with which nature occa- 
sionally gladdens the first twenty miles of that journey, was 
dried up. But at the " Robbers' Rancho," — eight miles from 
Cerralvo, — which we reached early in the afternoon, a supply 
of water was obtained. The scorching heat and rough road 
had so jaded both men and animals, that the commanding 
ofiicer had concluded to encamp there ; but on learning from 
the wagon-masters that they were short of forage, he deter- 



ACTION OF CERKALVO. 307 

mined to push forward to Cerralvo. The " Robbers' Rancho " 
was also deserted, but, as it was Sunday, an officer of the 
detachment sportively remarked that " the forty thieves had 
probably gone to church." Some new brogans, several packs 
of playing cards and other sutler's goods were found in that 
very Tespectahle estahlishnent. 

After leaving the Rancho, the teams began to lag, as usual 
toward the end of a day's march. When the head of tho 
train was about a mile from Cerralvo, a small party of horse- 
men who had been kept in advance galloped back with the 
information that, just as they were cautiously entering the 
suburbs of the town, the Mexican troops began to pour out, 
through many streets, upon the plain. So sudden indeed 
was the appearance of the enemy that one of our people, 
being poorly mounted, was overtaken and killed in the 
retreat. Before hearing this report, the long array of Lancers, 
then rapidly approaching, had admonished us to prepare for 
action. Fortunately there was a slight elevation in the plain, 
rather bare of chaparral, about 200 yards in front of the spot 
we occupied when first advised of the enemy's presence. 
This, the commander of the escort determined to gain as a 
favorable position for his artillery, while the open ground 
about it would aftbrd ample space to park the train, for which 
orders were immediately given. Our four-pounder and the 
three companies of infantry were at once rushed forward to 
the desired position ; and formed upon it just as the leading 
squadrons of Lancers had arrived within good range for 
canister shot, with which they were promptly greeted. They 
continued to advance, but in a slower pace and evidently 



308 ACTION OF CEEEALVO. 

much confused and disconcerted by their unexpected recep- 
tion. Before our cannon was re-loaded, we were enabled to 
open a lively fire of musketry upon their line ; at which they 
broke and fied in disorder, many of them throwing them- 
selves upon the necks of their horses the better to avoid our 
Ijalis A rapid glance from the point we occupied had 
revealed a heavy force between us and the town ; and large 
bodies of men, moving rapidly through the chaparral upon 
our flanks and rear. There seemed to be quite enough of 
them to overwhelm us by the mere weight of numbers. At 
the moment of the attack, the rear-guard, — composed of 
Howe's and Keneally's companies with Lieutenant McCar- 
ter's gun -guard, was more than two miles behind us ; while 
the wagons were strung out in the intervening road, which 
was for the most part hemmed in by thickets. The sudden 
volleys and shouts of the combatants, conveyed to those in 
the rear, the first intimation of the afiair on hand. Captain 
Howe then marched his company to the front, leaving 
Keneally's (Company A, let Ohio regiment) alone in the 
rear ; which unaccountable movement, — had the latter com- 
pany been composed of less resolute material, — might have 
seriously endangered the whole command. But the com- 
mander of the escort, was not apprehensive that the rear- 
gun would be captured so long as one gallant Irish heart was 
left to bleed in its defense.* At the sound of the first shot, 
the drivers in the center of the train abandoned their teams 

* Captain Keneally's company was composed of Irishmen ; and was for many 
years well known in Cincinnati as—" the Montgomery Guards." The gallant 
Captain lost his life on the Vera Cruz line, a few months alter the events here 
narrated. 



ACTION OF CEKRALVO. 309 

and ran either to the advance or rear-guard. But few of 
those men deserve censure, for the road was so narrow that 
the stopping of a single' wagon necessarily detained all others 
behind it. And even at those rare places where the track 
was wide enough to admit of passing, many of the brainless 
native mules, being accustomed only to follow^ refused to 
pass those halted in advance of them ; thus, by their pro- 
voking obstinacy, defeating the efforts of the most diligent 
and courageous drivers to bring up their wagons. To remain 
with such brutes was certain death ; and indeed, so sudden 
was the onset of the cavalry at all points, that more than a 
dozen of the teamsters were lanced in their saddles ; while 
others, unable to join either division of our force escaped 
in the chaparral, and wandered off toward Monterey or 
Camargo. 

Meantime the wagons were being gathered as rapidly as 
possible around the advance and rear-guards, and by prompt 
and unceasing exertions, — in which some of the wagon-mas- 
ters and drivers fearlessly discharged their duty, — we suc- 
ceeded in saving about one hundred and twenty of them. 
The remainder, probably forty in number, were lost chiefly 
by the mules taking fright, and dashing through the openings 
of the thickets into the enemy's hands. Had we fifty or a 
hundred good dragoons, even those should have been recov- 
ered. The ranchero portion of Urrea's force, under General 
Canales, after unhitching the animals immediately set fire to 
the wagons. Among those burned was our ammunition 
wagon, which, though placed in charge of two drivers 
recommended as trusty men, had been lost in the first 



310 ACTION OF CERRALVO. 

alarm. They excused themselves by asserting that their 
horses became unmanageable at the noise of the afira}^, and 
that they did not leave their saddles until in danger of being 
carried over to the enemy. The sad story of its loss was 
first communicated to us by the sound of its explosion, which 
was followed by an unearthly yell of pain. It seemed that a 
party of Mexicans, perhaps engaged in wrangling for the 
horses, an unusual and much coveted booty, were assembled 
around it while it was burning; when, as we afterward 
learned from one of the sufferers who was captured, three of 
the number were instantly killed and several wounded by an 
explosion that shattered the wagon to fragments. This 
unlucky event, a more persevering foe than General Urrea 
would have turned to good account, assured as he must have 
been by the slackening of our fire, that we had no cartridges 
to waste upon a distant mark. It was no easy matter to pre- 
vent the loss from having a depressing eflect upon our troops ; 
but the circumstances of our position when fully understood, 
strengthened every heart and arm. 

The enemy, foiled in his first and most serious attack in 
front, after re-forming, continued to menace us with a charge ; 
but was as often driven back by the unflinching steadiness of 
our men, and a few round shot from the piece of artillery 
under Sergeant Howell, some of whose balls rebounded into 
the town, creating no little consternation among the citizens. 
Our first object being to collect and park the wagons, the 
men were directed to husband their ammunition, and content 
tliemslves with keeping the enemy at a respectful distance. 
While engaged in these skirmishes, altogether defensive on 



ACTION OF CEEKALVO. 311 

our part, we could not refrain from again lamenting that it 
had not been our fortune to march from Monterey with the 
escort alone, as at first designed. Arrested in our progress 
more by the train in our rear, than by the foe in front, we 
could, if unembarrassed with the former, have thrown the 
latter from our path as easily as a buoyant ship casts the 
billows from her prow. Encouraged by our apparent inac- 
tivity, a party of the enemy dismounted, approached under 
cover of the chaparral and opened a rattling fire of escopetts 
upon our left flank. Their balls pattered among the mass of 
wagons then collected, but beside wounding a few mules did 
no damage. Our four-pounder was moved in that direction, 
and with a few raking discharges swept the skulking gentry 
from the bushes. While the fight was in progress, a game- 
cock, that courageous and vigilant bird, which the ancients, 
with their nice perception of the fitness of such things, dedi- 
cated to Mars, belonging to a soldier, flew upon a bow of the 
wagon in which he had been confined, and crowed in a style 
that would have caused the whole tribe of overgrown and. 
loutish Shanghaes to hide their diminished heads. His 
clarion notes were greeted by the men with cheers and shouts 
of applause. 

Among the laughable little incidents was the following, to 
which my attention was called by a gentleman near me. In 
one of the foremost wagons of the park was a beardless 
youngster, — perhaps a clerk, — whose only weapon was a 
little brass pocket-pistol. But he fought with that, as if 
victory depended upon his single eflbrts ; discharging it with 
the most astonishing rapidity, — now disappearing in the 



312 INCIDENTS OF THE ACTION. 

wagon to load, and the next instant rising to fire at any 
Mexican in sight, no matter how distant. Much excited, he 
continued his animated fusillade long after the troops had 
ceased firing. Whenever he dropped to charge his pistol, 
the driver of his war-chariot, who sat upon his mule, shak- 
ing with laughter, was engaged in selecting the next victim^ 
and at which the terrible piece of ordnance was leveled as 
soon as loaded. 

Another amusing scene occurred about this time. A team- 
ster who had escaped from the massacre at Ramas, — and 
who was a driver in our train also, — had been suddenly set 
upon by a couple of Lancers ; and failing in his attempt to 
give " leg-bail," he had darted head foremost into a cluster 
of chaparral about twenty feet in diameter. Into this the 
enemy were unable to force their horses ; and being afraid to 
dismount, contented themselves with riding around the thicket 
and thrusting their long lances at the fugitive. Our driver, 
now on his hands and knees, and dodging from side to side 
like a wounded partridge in a brush-heap, succeeded by dint 
of hard scratching, in eluding all the blows aimed at him. 
The Lancers, alarmed at the proximity of some of our troops, 
finally rode off; when the teamster, venturing cautiously 
from his friendly cover, fled to the escort, with clothes torn 
to shreds and hands and face badly lacerated by the thorns. 
Overjoyed at his narrow escape and regarding himself as one 
returned almost from the dead, he gave utterance to his 
delight and attracted attention by some lusty cheers for him- 
self. Jumping into the air and swinging the remnant of an 
old straw-hat exultingly around his head, he shouted, — 



INCIDENTS OF THE ACTION. 313 

" Hurrah for Bill Bobbins ! Hurrah for Bill Robbins ! run 
over by Lancers two times, and a living agin !" 

But there were some incidents connected with the affair 
at Cerralvo of a different character, that interested more 
seriously the hearts of those present, and with one of which 

I propose to detain the reader. The Mr. R , of whom 

mention is made at the beginning of this chapter, happened, 
at the commencement of the fight to be near the front of the 
train, while his friend and family were riding in a wagon far 
away toward the rear. He at once made a desperate effort 
to join them, but after a fierce hand to hand conflict in which 
he killed one of the enemy, was forced to abandon the attempt 
and unite with our force in front, then hotly engaged. Cov- 
ered with blood and bathed in tears, the gray -haired old man 
approached the commanding ofScer, and in a voice tremulous 
with wild excitement stated the position of his family and 
implored assistance. It was not the moment for a consola- 
tory conversation, yet sympathizing deeply with his sudden 
and great grief, the commander briefly assured him that he 
should have our arms, as he already had our sympathies, at 
the earlest possible moment ; that in order to be able to aid 
him effectually we must first secure ourselves ; and suggested 
that his wife and children were probably safe with the rear- 
guard. And so it proved. Their wagon had been attacked 

with others, and R 's friend had been killed before the 

eyes of the family. But the women and children, supplica- 
ting mercy in the Spanish language, with which from their 
long residence in Durango, they were familiar, had been 
spared and suSered to join Captain Keneally's party in the 



314 ACTION OF CEKRALYO. 

rear. The old man, — husband and father, — being agitated 
with a thousand fears for his loved ones, could think of noth- 
ing but their fate ; and throughout the action stood by the 
commanding officer, occasionally taking hold of his stirrup 
and looking mutely and imploringly up into his face, as if to 
remind him of his promise. Doubtless each moment seemed 
an age to the one. I know that duty and the tenderest feel- 
ings of our nature were making wild war in the breast of the 
other. 

The enemy, it will be observed, being all mounted and 
acquainted with the ground, had been enabled with their 
superior numbers to dash almost simultaneously upon all 
parts of the train, A heavy column had briskly charged 
the rear-guard, but meeting with a determined resistance had 
been compelled to retire with loss and in disorder. They 
then formed in force, between the two divisions of our detach- 
ment with the view of preventing a junction. From the 
time of the arrival of Captain Howe's company in front, we 
had been greatly concerned for the safety of the company and 
artillery left in the rear. Lieutenants Fyffe and Moore, 
acting stafi-officers, had both gallantly volunteered to bear 
any communication to Captain Iveneally. But the com- 
mander, believing from the mutual confidence which existed 
between that officer and himself, that the Captain needed no 
encouragement to do his duty ; and would count with cer- 
tainty upon our aid when the proper moment arrived, — 
declined to risk the lives of his staff unnecessarily. He did 
not believe that there was a company in the 1st Ohio regi- 
ment, which, under the circumstances could be induced to 



THE ENEMY INVITE A CAPITULATION. 315 

lay Jov/n their arms and surrender that piece of artillery, 
contrary to his orders and the interests of the whole detach- 
ment. Company A, certainly was not one to withdraw Irom 
danger and thereby involve their comrades in greater peril. 

The Mexican furce in our front having been repulsed, and 
now disposed to content themselves with random volleys of 
escopetts from a distance, Captain Bradley was ordered to 
march with eighty men, to the rear ; unite his force with 
Captain Keneally's and bring up the w^agons collected there. 
Just as Captain Bradley was about to set out, Captain 
Keneally himself — cheerful and sprightly as usual — rode up 
on a gaily caparisoned Mexican horse. He stated that his 
company was surrounded, and that he had received under 
cover of a flag the following communication, which was 
written with a lead pencil on a mammoth sheet of foolscap. 

" The Colonel Langberg, oflers to all the soldiers^ life and 
security, if you surrender yourself. 

(Signed) " Emelio Langberg, Foreign Officer.'''' 

Captain Keneally also stated that upon receiving the note 
he had requested an interview with Colonel Langberg ; that 
he had found him with a large force under General Romaro, 
occupying an intermediate point of the road ; and that Lang- 
berg, who spoke our language fluently, had remarked to him 
that further resistance would be useless as the Mexican force 
amounted to sixteen hundred men and tJiree generals.* 
Keneally next inquired, if the remainder of the detachment 

* I have no doubt but that this statement of the strength of the Mexican force at 
Cerralvo is nearly correct. We were afterward informed by citizens of the town, 
that all Urrea's troops, both regulars and rancheros, had been concentrated there, 
as a suitable point for their operations ; it being about equi-distant from our posts 



316 WHICH WE DECLINE. 

had been captured ? To this interrogatory, Langberg truth- 
fully replied in the negative ; a circumstance from which I 
am disposed to infer that he is a soldier of more honor than 
many of those with whom he has associated himself. Cap- 
tain Keneally then demanded permission to consult his com- 
mander, which was immediately granted and a horse placed 
at his disposal. The enemy also cheerfully agreed to a truce 
of on& liour^ during which time he had proposed, doubtless, 
to practice some of his perfidious arts. The men, who 
seemed to guess at once, the purport of Captain Keneally's 
message and the contents of the paper he delivered, swelled 
with silent indignation at the bare idea of a capitulation. 
But one however, ventured to make a remark, and that soito 
voce. " Boys," — said he to those next him in the line, — 
" boys, how would we look cracking jpandy-mice in Urrea's 
camp to-night ?" * 

The commander of the escort, not intending to be duped 
by the wily foe, became, after hearing Keneally's report, 
doubly solicitous to concentrate his force without further loss 
of time. The captain was forthwith sent back with a suita- 
ble reply to the enemy, and a word of encouragement to his 
own company. Immediately upon the heels of Keneally 
was dispatched Captain Bradley with the force previously 
designated : so that if the Mexicans had calculated upon 

at Monterey and Camargo. The generals so vauntingly alluded to, were Urrea, 
the commander-in-chief, Romaro and Canales. But generals are as plentiful in 
Mexico, as Colonels in the snaky counties of Virginia. 

* The reader will perceive the A:erneZ of this remark, when he is informed that the 
Mexican soldiers, who are their own commissaries, subsist chiefly on "■ pari'de- 
maiz,'' — corn bread. — which they make from corn coarsely bruised or cracked upon 
flat stones. 



THE FORCE CONCENTKATED. 31Y 

having an hour's truce in which to spread their nets, " they 
reckoned without their host." Captain Bradley possessed 
an intrepid spirit, united with a rare combination of prudence 
and promptness, which, I take occasion to remark, rendered 
him eminently worthy of this dangerous and honorable dis- 
tinction. Captain Keneally having notified Colonel Lang- 
berg of the termination of the truce, courteously advised 
him to move his troops, as they were in a dangerous position 
and might get hurt if they persisted in remaining. Upon 
rejoining his company, he was informed by Lieutenant Mc- 
Carter commanding the artillery, that during his absence 
some squadrons of the enemy had moved to a new position 
within short range of the piece. These were immediately 
fired upon. Bradley, who had advanced rapidly on the main 
road, was enabled at almost the same moment to pour the 
whole weight of his fire upon other bodifis of cavalry, who, 
taken by surprise at these sudden oflensive movements on 
our part, gave way on all sides and suflered the rear-guard to 
be re-inforced. Among the foremost in Captain Bradley's 
command, marched the gallant old New Englander, — R***, 
who had learned from Keneally the melancholy fate of his 
friend, and the joyful tidings of the safety of his wife and 
children. His meeting with these, after such sanguinary 
scenes as all of them had witnessed, I leave to the imagina- 
tion of the kindly affectioned reader. The now united com- 
mands of Captains Keneally and Bradley, had but little difii- 
culty in bringing up the remainder of the train : and thus, 
in less than two hours after the first attack, we had the satis- 
faction of seeing our little force again concentrated, and with 
U* 



318 UKEEA DEMANDS A SUEKENDER. 

a loss of but two soldiers, fifteen drivers and about forty- 
wagons. The Mexican loss we had no means of ascertain- 
ing, but the people of Cerralvo, subsequently informed us 
that it amounted to between forty and fifty killed and wound- 
ed. It was General Urrea's last appearance in that theater, 
from which we argue that he at least, did not think attacking 
trains a very profitable business in the long run; or 
agree with the Mexican historian that — "a guerrilla war 
would have ruined the enemy and given success to the 
Republic." 

It should be stated that before the junction of our troops 
was effected, — indeed but a few minutes after the departure 
of Captain Bradley, — General Urrea commanding in our 
front, sent a flag toward us, w^hich Major Coffee volunteered 
to meet midway, as it was not desirable that any of the 
enemy should be 'allowed to inspect closely our force and 
position. Its bearer, who did not speak English very intelli- 
gibly, was understood to inquire why we had violated a truce 
by firing on the general-in-chief. This strange inquiry, 
strange^ because the truce was construed by us as extending 
only to the rear-guard, served to show that General Urrea, 
though more distant from the scene of contract than our- 
selves, was cognizant of it before w^e were ; and strengthened 
our suspicion that some preconcerted scheme was about to be 
put in execution ; and which was thwarted by our prompt- 
ness in reinforcing the rear-guard. The demand for a sur- 
render was also iterated, but the euvoy was given to under- 
stand that General Urrea had failed to convince us of its 
necessity ; and that as his object in these parleys was evi- 



THE ENEMY KETIKE. 319 

dently to gain time and information, we would not regard or 
hesitate to fire upon the next flag he presumed to send. 

After the arrival of the rear-guard, a few more shots were 
exchanged with the enemy, but he finally gave up the contest 
and withdrew from the field. It was beginning to get dusk, 
but the commander of the escort determined to make an effort 
to reach the town, in the direction of which the Mexicans 
had retired. The wagons closed in mass, covered several 
acres of ground, and though empty of aught save curses, 
with which they had been pretty heavily laded, especially 
since the attack, embarrassed our operations greatly. On 
the four sides of the park, were posted in as many divisions 
all our available force, including the miscellaneous command 
of Mr. Crittenden. In this order we resumed our march. 
But the bushes skirting the road so impeded the progress of 
the train, that, after many short detentions, we were com- 
pelled by the darkness to halt outside the town. It was sup- 
posed, too, from the sounding of bugles in advance, and the 
movements of the enemy, dimly discerned in the faint star- 
light, that preparations were being made to dispute our 
entrance ; and it was therefore deemed best to await the 
morning before making the attack. Strong picket-guards 
were thrown out, and the men were ordered to lie down in 
their places and sleep on their arms. Many of tlie poor fel- 
lows were too much fatigued with the exertions of the day, 
either to eat or sleep ; but a feeling of contentment and a 
sober joy pervaded the whole command, arising from the 
consciousness that they had done their duty and were an 
overmatch for the enemy. During the night General Urrea 



320 FRIENDLY KECEPTION IN CEREALTO. 

evacuated the town and marched southward into Tamauli- 
pas; nor was our line of communication afterward inter- 
rupted, save by the mdigeiious robber bands. 

Early the next morning, 8th of March, we took possesion 
of Cerralvo ; after having been met in the suburbs by some 
deputies of the citizens, who, governed by their fears rather 
than their inclinations, greeted us cordially and proffered every 
service needful. These humble characters on the previous day 
had doubtless been cheek-by -jowl with Urrea. But the ayun- 
tamiento of Cerralvo are not singular in the amiable faculty 
of accomodating themselves to the power that happens to be 
in the ascendant. Learning from two wounded Americans 
whom we found in the town, that they had been kindly 
treated by the citizens, — the Alcalde was notified that in 
return for his humanity, and a liberal supply of beef and 
corn during our stay, we would extend to himself and people 
our protection and " distinguished consideration." Notwith- 
standing these friendly demonstrations at Cerralvo, we did 
not relax our usual vigilance, and took up a strong position 
in the town. The same day, the commanding officer dis- 
patched a Mexican courier to General Urrea, with some 
details of the battle of Buena Vista ; and requesting him 
him to release Lieutenant Barbour's party and other Ameri- 
cans then in his hands, upon the assurance that General Tay- 
lor would promptly reciprocate the act by giving liberty to an 
equal number of prisoners. The messenger returned on the 
following day, with the intelligence that Urrea had retreated 
toward Victoria; and that despairing of success in any 
effort to overtake him with his poor mustang^ he had aban- 



A STAMPEDE AMONG THE TEAMSTEES. 321 

doned the chase. Though the man had been promised, in 
the event of his success, that his brotlier, then our prisoner, 
should be released ; yet there were many who placed no con- 
fidence in his report. Among those whose minds were filled 
with the belief that the enemy yet lingered in the vicinity 
with some ulterior designs upon our train, were the team- 
sters. On the 9th, the commander of the detachment issued 
an order for the companies and wagons to be got ready for 
resuming the march in the direction of Camargo. lie was 
soon informed by the chief wagon-master, that the teamsters 
positively and unanimously refused to drive. This unexpected 
ne exeat of Jehu involved us in a dilemna, for which, so far 
as I am informed, neither Mars nor Marcy had made any 
special provision: the oracles of the god and Secretary of 
"War, being alike ominously silent concerning teamsters. 
They were not enlisted men, or considered subject to martial 
law. Beholding in perspective a fate as dreadful as that 
already encountered by some of their comrades, the little 
subordination that had heretofore prevailed among them was 
now lost in an appalling sense of danger. 

The commanding officer, not being altogether satisfied 
himself, that the enemy had abandoned the road ; and know- 
ing that in the event of another sudden attack by such a 
force, more lives and wagons must be lost, was not disposed 
to resort to any extreme measures to compel obedience. He 
was free to admit too, that the unarmed drivers had some rea- 
son to dread an enemy who had proved so unsparing to them : 
and in this connection it may be remarked that in Langberg's 
note, life and security were offered to the soldiers alone. 



322 CANALES OYEEHAULS OUK MESSENGEK. 

But being anxious that the important dispatches from 
Buena Vista should not be delayed, he next concluded to 
divide his force, — to leave one-half at Cerralvo in charge of 
the train, and march with the other to Camargo. He stated 
to Major Coffee and Mr. Crittenden the embarrassments of 
our position, arising from the temper and conduct of the 
drivers; and informed his officers of the plan proposed. To 
this it was replied among other things, that there was a scar- 
city of cartridges, — but ten or twelve rounds remaining for 
the muskets and a less number for the artillery ; — and that 
if the enemy had not retreated toward Yictoria, and should 
be tempted by a division of our force to invest Cerralvo, as 
he had besieged Marin ; a failure of ammunition or of sup- 
plies from the surrounding country would be fatal to the 
party left with the wagons. After calmly weighing all the 
difficulties that surrounded him, the commanding officer 
finally decided to await the arrival of a force under Colonel 
Curtis, supposed to be on the march from Camargo ; and in 
the meantime dispatched a messenger to Major Crossman, 
the quarter-master at that post, requesting the provision of 
supplies on the route. The messenger who was a Mexican 
smuggler, familiar with the frontier, returned in a few hours 
and stated that he had encountered some of Canales' men ; 
but as he had fortunately refused to take a written message, 
they had released him after searching his clothes and saddle 
for papers. lie however, stated his belief that it was possi- 
ble to get through by making a circuit to the north-west, 
crossing the Rio Grande and descending to Camargo on the 
Texan bank. This he immediately undertook to do, in com- 



FALSE KEPORTS — COL. CURTIS REACHES CERRALVO. 323 

pany with a volunteer; whom he shaved, painted and dis- 
guised as a Mexican with a skill that proved him an adept 
in such matters. The second attempt was successful, and 
we afterward found our march greatly facilitated by the satis- 
factory arrangements that Major Grossman had promptly 
made for supplying the train on the road. 

We were detained at Cerralvo four days, at the end of 
which time Colonel Curtis arrived with a column of more 
than twelve hundred men ; comprising his own, the 3d Ohio, 
regiment, four companies of the new Yirginia regiment under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph, — a squadron of regular dra- 
goons under Lieutenant-Colonel Fauntleroy, — four pieces of 
artillery; and a corps of Texan Horse, lately called into ser- 
vice. Some of the fugitives from our train had met him at 
Mier, with the usual report in such cases, that our detachment 
was cut to pieces. On receiving this intelligence, Lieutenant- 
Colonel McCook of the 3d Ohio regiment, had proposed a 
rapid advance to Cerralvo with the cavalry alone. But his 
wishes were not acceded to, and the whole force in hourly 
expectation of an attack continued to advance by slow 
marches. The same misrepresentations of our fate reached 
General Taylor, — then at Monterey ; — who, in the absence of 
any official report of the circumstances, though fresh from his 
glorious victory over Santa Anna, immediately started on a 
bush-whacking hunt after such small game as Urrea. Tliat 
wily gentleman however, hastened to burrow in the Tula 
pass, from which he did not again emerge during the cam- 
paign. 

After obtaining from Curtis' command some needful sup- 



324 WE SET OUT TO EETURN TO MONTEEEY. 

plies ; and thirty Texan Rangers, to be employed as scouts 
and flankers, we continued our march, and arrived at Ca- 
margo without further interruption on the 15th of the month. 
At that post we met Colonel Mitchell, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Weller, Surgeon Chamberlyn and other ofiicers of our regi- 
ment who had just arrived from the United States. The 
town of Camargo we found much changed since our former 
visit in August of the previous year. It had been fortified 
too, — (as the vQ^i^or^ peradventu're^ knows,) but in such a 
bungling manner, as to expose a certain one of Mr. Folk's 
generals to the suspicion of incompetency. An extensive 
and well-constructed field-work had been built on the west 
bank of the Rio San Juan (opposite the town) by the 2d 
Ohio regiment, and named in honor of the oflicer who super- 
intended it— "Fort Major Wall." 

On the 20th of March, five days after our arrival at 
Camargo, we again entered upon the dry and weary road to 
Monterey ; with a train of one hundred loaded wagons, and 
a force augmented to five hundred men, by the addition of 
some companies of the Virginia regiment ; a company of 
United States Dragoons ; and a company of Texan Rangers 
under the famous " Mustang " Gray ; — the whole column 
commanded by Colonel Mitchell, whose wound was sufli- 
ciently healed to enable him to take the saddle. Nothing 
worthy of notice occurred during our journey until our 
arrival, on Sunday, the 28th of March, at the scene of the 
massacre between Ramas and Marin, already described. 
There Captain Gray and his Rangers separated from the 
command, for the purpose, as was said, of obtaining forage. 



MASSACRE OF RANCHEEOS. 325 

The column pursued its march a few miles farther, and 
encamped for the night at the stream near Marin. I was 
informed that one of the Texans had recognized a brother 
among the decaying remains of mortality in the valley, and 
with tears of grief and rage, had insisted upon avenging his 
death in the blood of the first Mexicans they encountered. 
The departure of the Rangers therefore, seemed to bode evil 
to the neighboring rancheros ; for human vengeance, — espe- 
cially Texan vengeance of the Gray sjpecies^ — armed with 
power, is seldom over nice in the exercise of it. 

"We saw nothing more of them until dark, when they rode 
into camp laded with forage, and driving a couple of terrified 
old Mexicans before them ; both so covered and hung about 
with flapping and complaining fowls, as to resemble in no 
small degree their ferocious ancestors, when clad in their 
gorgeous panoplies of " plumage " or feather-mail. The 
fright which evidently possessed the old men, was most 
lamentable ; and they hastened in anxious silence to leave 
the camp as soon as relieved of their burdens. Little did we 
suppose that they were going home to weep over the dead 
bodies of relatives and friends. Nor was it until after our 
arrival at Monterey that we learned that twenty-four men, 
comprising nearly the entire male population of a village, 
about eight miles from our camp, had been put to death.* 

* This massacre gave rise to an interestino; correspondence between General 
Mora Y. Villamil (commanding the nearest Mexican garrison, at San Luis de 
Potosi) and General Taylor, in which the latter displayed his usual candor and 
ability ; as will be perceived in the following extract from his letter: 

" But as you have thought proper, in communicating the instructions of your 
government, to address me somewhat at length on the manner in which the war 
has been prosecuted on my part, I embrace this opportunity to make a few remarks 

15 



326 OPINIONS OF IT AT MONTEREY. 

Yarious opinions were expressed at Monterey, about this 
sanguinary and merciless transaction. Many justified it by 
tlie wanton cruelties inflicted upon our countrymen near 
Eamas, in which some of these same Mexicans were prob- 
ably engaged ; and for which outrages the rancheros cer- 
tainly had no apology whatever. Others thought it neces- 
sary as a warning and example to the people, whom we had 
so long in vain endeavored to conciliate, and whom we could 
only intimidate by some such sudden and heavy blow. Some 
excused it as the result of a wild storm of passion ; by the 
long rankling injuries of the Texans, or by the border code 
of " blood for blood." It forms one of the darkest passages 
in the history of the campaign ; and in fact, can not be justi- 
fied on the score of necessity of any kind, I would fain blot 
it out from these memoirs ; and it is alluded to here chiefly 
because as an ofiicer of that detachment, I desire to exculpate 
my own regiment from any participation in the atrocious 

on that subject. The outrages to which you have specifically referred became 
known to me soon alter their occurrence, and I can assure you that neither j'our- 
self nor the president of the republic could have felt deeper regret than myself on 
those occasions. Every means in my power, within the operation of our laws, 
were employed, but in most cases in vain, to identify and punish the delinquents. 
I can not suppose you so badly informed as to believe that such atrocities were 
committed with my connivance or consent; or that they iurnish a fair example of 
the mode in which the war has been conducted in this part of Mexico. Thev were 
in truth unfortunate exceptions, caused by circumstances beyond my control. It is 
proper to inform you that, from the moment the American army first entered the 
territory of Mexico, it has sustained losses of individual officers and soldiers, who 
have been murdered by Mexicans, sometimes almost within sight of its own camp. 
I do not recall these facts for the purpose of justifying, in any degree, the practice 
of retaliation ; for my government is at any rate " civilized enough " to draw the 
distinction between the lowest acts of individuals and the general policy which 
governs the operations bf an army ; but you have chosen to institute a comparison 
between our respective governments in their mode of waging war, which can not 
pass unnoticed. In this connection let it be remembered that Mexican troops have 
given to the world the example of killing wounded men upon the field of battle." 



THE PEKPETEATORS ARE UNDISCOVERED. 327 

deed ; which future historians, in the absence of all evidence 
to the contrary, miglit perhaps charge to the entire escort. 
Let the perpetrators, whoever they may be, vindicate their 
own conduct. The Rangers denied pluniply having been con- 
cerned in it ; but of that, the reader can now judge as well 
as myself. General Taylor made every effort to discover the 
offenders, but without success, — the Mexican witnesses fail- 
ing to come forward to identify them ; being afraid that they 
might incur a similar fate. The whole truth of the case will 
probably remain locked up in the cells of flinty and guilty 
hearts, until that day when the omniscient God who witnessed 
it, " shall come with righteousness to judge the world and 
the people with equity." 



CHAPTER XI. 

Condition of General Taylor's army after the battle of Buena Vista.— Tranquility 
restored. — Courts established. — Glance at General Scott's campaign. — The home- 
ward march. 

With the battle of Buena Yista, and the guerilla affairs 
already described, the campaign in Northern Mexico may be 
said to have closed. The attention and power of the enemy 
were concentrated on General Scott's army, and the defense 
of their now seriously threatened capital. Active operations 
were necessarily suspended by General Taylor, in conse- 
quence of the nearly approaching expiration of the term of 
service for which the old volunteers had been enrolled. The 
new levies, destined for the northern line were late to arrive ; 
and neither their numbers nor discipline would justify the 
immediate execution of any hazardous forward movements. 
A march to San Luis de Potosi, it was thought, too, would 
be attended with peculiar difficulties, chiefly from the absence 
of water. In that barren region which intervened, Santa 
Anna had lost the greater part of his army, made up of men 
accustomed to all the fatigues and privations of the country. 
Many of our new troops were already suffering much from 
disease, and the unusual hardships they had been compelled 
to endure. The Virginia regiment appeared sadly worn and 
reduced in health on reaching Monterey. The new Missis- 
sippi (2d) regiment, was almost immediately wasted to two- 



TRANQUILITY RESTORED. 339 

thirds its original strength by the small-pox. The North 
Carolina and Massachusetts troops were in rather better 
plight ; but still the force was entirely inadequate to the 
enterprise of penetrating to the heart of the republic, even 
if it had been in condition to encounter the melting suns 
and incredible toils of the desert march. 'No great number 
of the old volunteers could be induced to re-enter the ser- 
vice until they had once more seen those homes to which 
amid all the various changes and chances of the war, their 
hearts had been fondly turned. 

In this condition of afiairs, events began to stagnate north 
of the Sierra Madre ; and the eyes of both nations, so long 
fixed upon the fascinating drama which concluded amid 
shouts and tears at Buena Vista, were turned to the more 
gorgeously appointed spectacle upon which the curtain was 
rising at Yera Cruz. Even the robbers, awed by the rapid 
and searching patrols of the few companies of Texan Rang- 
ers, again in the field, were perfectly quiescent ; and our 
trains were permitted to pass unmolested with even smaller 
escorts than at any previous time. Such protection was 
given to the conquered States as they had never before en- 
joyed, and the people returning everywhere to their homes, 
embarhed in their various pursuits with a prospect of greater 
rewards than they had derived under their own rulers. There 
is no lack of the material for general comfort and prosperity 
in Mexico. The mere assurance that property will be 
secure from the rapacity of officials and the numerous pro- 
fessed banditti, M'ould of itself give a great impulse to the 
country. The protection afforded by our military occupation 



330 tayloe's moderation. 

of the Republic, had it continued a little longer, would have 
planted commerce and the useful arts upon her soil in a man- 
ner calculated to insure their growth. 

Up to the period of the withdrawal of the Mexican troops 
from the Northern States, the jus gladii had been the only 
authority acknowledged and respected within their borders. 
In the clash of contending arms, the laws of the country (at 
all times speaking in a feeble tone and often to the perversion 
of justice) had remained perfectly silent. General Taylor's 
dictum settled many disputes, and the enemy never had 
cause to complain of the prompt decrees and stirrup verdicts 
he often enunciated. From Palo Alto to Buena Vista he 
had prohibited all wanton injuries to the Mexicans in person 
or property, and never failed to punish the perpetrators of 
them when detected. And indeed, as we have before had 
occasion to remark, his scrupulous sense of justice and gener- 
ous leaning to the side of the vanquished, sometimes caused 
the scale of his own soldiers "to kick the beam," when the 
complaints of the natives were light and false. With the 
ill-fated King Henry YL, General Taylor might truly have 
said — 

"I have not stopp'd mine ears to tlieir demands, 
Nor posted off their suits with slow delays; 
My pity hath beeii balm to heal their wounds, 
My mildness hath allay 'd their swelling griefs, 
My mercy dry'd their water-flowing tears: 
I have not been desirous of their wealth, 
Nor much oppress'd them with great subsidies, 
Nor forward of revenge, though they much errVl." 

Though fully authorized to levy contributions for the sup- 
port of his army, the only pecuniary burden he ever imposed 
upon the Mexican people, was a tax to indemnify his govern- 



COURTS ESTABLISHED. 331 

ment for the loss of the train near Ramas on the 24th of Feb- 
ruary ; and even the collection of that was suspended, and 
its final decision made to depend on the future good conduct 
of the rancheros. 

AVith the restoration of tranquility in the conquered States 
came the necessity for the establishment of tribunals for its 
preservation and the administration of justice. Unfortu- 
nately for the Mexicans, the American government did not 
think proper to bless the States of Tamaulipas, New Leon 
and Coahuila with such permanent governments as it had 
bestowed upon New Mexico and California. That work, in 
the rapid march of events on this continent, it will be called 
upon to perform at no distant day, to the great benefit of Lib- 
erty and Christianity. Our armies, however, assumed tem- 
porarily supreme civil as well as military jurisdiction ; and 
boards of olficers — "courts of military commission" — were 
organized for the adjudication of all cases, not falling within 
the cognizance of courts-martial. By these all disputes be- 
tween Americans and Mexicans were adjusted. Their juris- 
. diction extended to the whole catalogue of crime, and the 
punishments were awarded in accordance with the laws of 
the particular State which the officers composing the court 
happened to represent. The citadel at Monterey was con- 
verted into a quasi-penitentiary, and scarcely a day passed 
after the establishment of the " commission" at Monterey, 
in which some cJievcdier d'industrie was not sentenced to 
hard beans and labor at the fort. That court was organized 
soon after our return from Camargo, and I can safely affirm 
that, during the two months in which I was familiar with its 



332 NEWS OF scott's operations. 

proceedings, a patient hearing was given to every party 
interested ; and justice administered without fear or favor. 
As might be supposed, there were many cases on its docket 
between Mexicans and Texans. The hitter too, were gener- 
ally if not always the defendants ; and their answers to the 
complaints (the pleadings were oral) almost invariable began, 
continued and ended with the Alamo, or Goliad or Mier ; 
and wrongs or injuries long since suffered thus attempted to 
be set up in justification of present conduct. 

The great heauty of these military tribunals was in the 
jpromjptness with which they dispatched business. In this 
respect they were model courts. There were no ridiculous 
or barbarous forms of pleading to dodge an issue or raise a 
false one; no learned counsel with heads full of sesquipeda- 
lia verla and bags full of precedents to obstruct or turn away 
the stream of justice. Hence there was at least, none of 
that tedious, heart-breaking and mind-destroying litigation 
against which Dickens has recently turned his powerful 
pen. Certes, but our court at Monterey would have deci- 
ded even the tough case of " Jarndyce and Jarndyce" at a 
single sitting. 

About the middle of April an account of the fall of Vera 
Cruz reached Monterey ; and about a month later news was 
received of the wonderful battle of Cc3rro Gorda. The first 
reports of both came from Mexican tongues and the facts 
were greatly misrepresented. They acknowledged however 
to a shameful defeat at Cerro Gorda, and stated that Generals 
Scott and Santa Anna were both killed. The arrival of our 
own couriers from, the coast with authentic reports, was fol- 



scott's campaign. 333 

lowed by official announcements of the victories, by salutes 
and rejoicings in which every American heartily united. 
The exploits of General Scott's army, rivaling upon the same 
theater those of Cortes, even when viewed through the clear 
medium of the present, before Time has thrown its magnify- 
ing mist around them, seem more like the highly-colored 
pictures of romance than the sober truths of history. The 
nineteenth century, so fruitful of great and remarkable events, 
furnishes few more striking to tlie imagination than the second 
conquest of Mexico. What American can contemplate that 
campaign without feeling his heart swell and glow within 
him ! Commenced with a force of ten thousand men, who, 
after pouring out their blood as freely as the clouds drop rain, 
upon the thirsty sands of the coast, the rough slopes of the 
mountains, the fertile valley of the capital ; after warring 
against every unpropitious circumstance, finally succeeded in 
capturing a city of two hundred thousand people, splendidly 
fortified, and prostrating the last standard the enemy dared 
spread to the breeze, on the very spot where, more than five 
centuries ago, its device of " \he eagle, serpent and cactus " 
had originated.* 



* The city of Mexico was founded in the year 1325, by one of those migratory 
tribes of aborigines which entered the valley from the remote regions of the North. 
Prescott gives the following account of the humble beginnings of this splendid 
capital. — 

" After a series of wanderings and adventures, which do not shrink from a com- 
parison with the most extravagant legends of the heroic ages of antiquity, the 
Aztecs at length halted on the south-western borders of the principal lake, in the 
year 1323. They there beheld, perched on the stem of a prickly-pear, which shot 
out from the crevice of a rock that was washed by the waves, a royal eagle of ex- 
traordinary size and beauty, with a serpent in his talons, and his broad wings 
opened to the rising sun. They hailed the auspicious omen, announced by the 
oracle, as indicating the site of their future city, and laid its foundation by sinking 



o34: ITOMKWAKP MAKOU. 

The brilliant campaign of Gononvl Tavlor, owwned tliongU 
it bo with tlic splendors of l>nona Vista, mav not bo con- 
sidered more glorious to American arms than the series of 
operations conductoii bv lienoKil Scott in Eas^torn and Cen- 
tral Mexico ; planned with consummate genius, and exe- 
cuted with a couragw daring and skill that have never Iven 
surpassed, lie who nndertakes to institute a compvrison 
between the characters and actions of that noble pair of 
American Generals, will engage in a ditlicuU and thankless 
task. In Mexico, both kxi smtill armies against an enemv 
vastly superior in numbei'S, and alwavs overcame him when- 
ever and whei'CN'or ho oliered Iviittle — in the walled city, 
mountain delilo or open j^lain — and accomplished with the 
means at command, all and more than their government 
could reasonably expect. And to the pennanent honor of 
both it will be ivcoixioii, that their campaigns were graced 
alike by the milder virtues of a compassionate ibrbearanco 
and magnanimity. Both loved peace more than war : and 
prizimr the Olive mora than the LatnYl wreath, wevv con- 
querors only to become pacificators. The honor and inteivsts 
of their country were deaivr to them than their own. ]May 
that country ever have a Scott and Taylor in her hour of 
need ! 

As the close of their terms of enlistment drew near, tho 
old volunteer ivgiments were sent in succession fivm tho Held 
to be nnistered out of service at Xew Orleans. Our home- 



pilos in tho shallows ; for tho low inarshos woro half Inuiod wndor wator. The 
lojicnd of itis foumlatiou is still conunoinoratod by tho dovi<-<' of the Eaglo and tl»o 
Cactus, which lorni ilic sums of the modern Mexican ivpuhlic." 



iioMiavAivM) MAKcnr. 3^55 

\vnr<I iiiurch wjisujoyliil oiio, tli(»Uii,ii over ;i r(»;i(l llicii iiniucr- 
oiisly (lotted witli tlu; Hkch^tons of men ;m(l uiiiinuls. Jiool- 
lesrt iiiid niiiird I'miclioM, ;iiid many :i darlc and .siiioldcriiii^ 
Ilea]) of a-HlicH, lold llu'. di,sa,Kt,(:rM in uliich llu; ]>c(iplc; had 
involved Uu'nisclvt'B by (J)rowin_ii; oil' tlicir iK'utrality and 
onterini;- iijion a cai-ccr ol" pilhi^i^o and nuissticrc. Truly 
''tlicy lliai plow ini(]uiiy and how wickedness sliall reap tlio 
samo." 'I'lie hot, season liad a^aiji returned, and in conse- 
(juenee of the Ioav water in the; Rio (irande, tlie land route 
was K^ni;thent'd to lleynosa and Matanioros. ]n the center 
of tin' niai'ch wi'. met several detachments of troops who had 
lately arrived in the country ; and after cxchano'ing the mili- 
tary salutations usual on such occasions, many a merry laugh 
would esca])e IVoiu our men, as they contrasted their own 
burnt, visages, llowing beards and soiled and ragged attiro 
w ilh till' fresh e(»nipIe\ions and ])erteet apiiointments of the 
new levii'S. Ihit the day after oui- landing in New Orleans, 
the barbers and tailors of that city, accomplished such magi- 
cal changes in their appearance, that it was no uncommon 
thing for officers and men who had served side by side 
throughout the campaign to pass each other as strangers in 
the streets. 

In descending the Rio Grande, then diminished to a mere 
creek, it was didicult to realize that it was the same stream 
u]ion whoso turhid and swollen current we had floated the 
previous sunnner. Its banks relieved from that inundation, 
appeared (piite lofty and Avore a more inviting and healthful 
aspect. It Avas a bright evening in June, 1817, when our 
eyes were once more gladdened by the blue waves of the 



836 HOMEWARD. 

Gulf. Pitching our last camp upon the breezy beach, we 
sat down and gazed with delight upon the rolling billows, 
and the stout transports chafing at their anchors as if impa- 
tient and anxious to bear us home. Desert and danger were 
behind ; toils and vigils were o'er, and now the faces and 
voices of long parted friends began to fill the heart. Soon 
the full-orbed moon with visage bright, arose in queenly 
splendor from the deep, and paved a silvery track across the 
sea ; tempting our busy thoughts upward as well as home- 
ward, to that Almighty Spirit who at the beginning " moved 
upon the face of the waters ;" and who had borne us unscath- 
ed through all the perils of the march, the camp, the battle- 
field. We looked from our tents upon the lovely scene, — 
"the soul, on past and future, foraging for joy" — till the 
spirits of air and sea assailed us with their slumb'rous spells, 
while to fairy music chanting — 

" Soldier, rest ! thy warfare o'er, 
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking ; 
Dream of fighting-fields no more, 
Days of danger, nights of waking." 



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